By Grace Zigah
Deep cracks have emerged within the government’s leadership structure following conflicting public statements over the proposed extension of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) services to Ghanaians living abroad, exposing sharp institutional contradictions between state agencies and igniting a public credibility crisis for key government appointees under President John Dramani Mahama.
The controversy was triggered after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, issued a firm press release on February 26, 2026, distancing the Ministry from claims that it had approved the overseas deployment of DVLA staff to register and renew driving licences for Ghanaians in the diaspora.
The Ministry stated categorically that it had neither issued directives to Ghana’s diplomatic missions nor granted approval to any institution for such an arrangement. It further stressed that it was not aware of any government policy supporting the initiative and that there was no record, no formal engagement, no policy framework, and no financial commitment within the Ministry to support the purported programme.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there has been no formal engagement, no new policy brought to our attention and no financial commitment as irrefutable evidence at the Ministry establishes,” the statement said, while reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to transparency and financial prudence in public service delivery.
This official denial directly contradicted public statements made just a day earlier by DVLA Chief Executive Julius Neequaye Kotey, who, at the commissioning of a new DVLA office in Bantama, Kumasi, announced that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approved the travel of DVLA staff to five countries —e the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany — to provide licensing services to Ghanaians abroad.
Mr. Kotey told staff and the public that selected DVLA personnel would be stationed in these countries to facilitate licence registration and renewal, eliminating the need for members of the diaspora to return to Ghana to access DVLA services.
He presented the plan as a fully approved inter-ministerial policy initiative.
The contradiction has not only exposed a serious breakdown in inter-agency coordination but has also fuelled perceptions of internal conflict among Mahama’s appointees, with the DVLA and the Foreign Affairs Ministry now offering directly opposing accounts of the same policy issue.
Historical Background Deepens Contradictions
The controversy is further complicated by documented prior engagements between the two institutions.
In May 2025, Kotey publicly announced that the DVLA had held high-level discussions with the Foreign Affairs Minister on preparations to open DVLA foreign offices to enable licensing and registration services for Ghanaians abroad.
At the time, the DVLA stated that:
Ghanaians abroad would access services through the embassies and high commissions, a pilot project would begin in at least six foreign countries, and the initiative would later be expanded to additional countries.
That 2025 communication created the impression of structured inter-ministerial planning and policy alignment, making the Ministry’s 2026 denial appear not just contradictory, but institutionally disruptive.
Public Backlash And Credibility Concerns
As the conflicting narratives unfolded, public reaction was swift and unforgiving. Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni openly questioned the logic of the initiative, arguing that Ghanaians living in countries like the United States and Canada do not prioritise Ghanaian driver’s licences and that the DVLA should focus on fixing domestic service delivery challenges instead.
Other social commentators described the situation as a “governance embarrassment,” accusing state institutions of poor coordination, misinformation, and political grandstanding.
The DVLA’s subsequent clarification — which claimed that staff would not be posted abroad and that embassy staff would instead be trained to verify documents for processing in Ghana — only deepened the confusion, as it differed materially from the CEO’s original public statements and the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s outright denial of any policy arrangement.
Beyond the technical issue of diaspora licensing, the dispute has now taken on wider political significance. Critics argue that the episode reflects deeper governance weaknesses, including:
poor inter-ministerial coordination,
weak internal policy coherence,
inconsistent public communication,
and erosion of public trust in state institutions.
The controversy has also revived public criticism of the DVLA leadership’s priorities, particularly in light of unresolved domestic challenges such as licensing delays, congestion at DVLA centres, and service inefficiencies nationwide.
Adding to the credibility crisis are earlier public promises attributed to the DVLA leadership — including a widely publicised pledge to build a hospital for drivers in 2026 — a project that has shown no visible progress, reinforcing public scepticism and distrust.
However, what began as a proposed diaspora service initiative has now transformed into a public governance scandal, exposing institutional contradictions, internal power struggles, and credibility gaps among key government appointees.
