10% Vehicles Not Covered By Papers

About 10 per cent of vehicles in the streets of Ghana are not covered by documents issued by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), says Osei Wusu, the chief Executive officer.

Such documents, according to him, were mostly issued by the ‘Gorro Boys" located around the DVLA premises in Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi and Tema. "They are not there on their own; when you follow them you hit a wall. They are the agents of a fake industry," he said.

Mr. Wusu expressed this concern in Accra on Wednesday when he delivered a paper on: "DVLA, our partner: changing the perception of motor insurance for national development" as part of activities marking the Insurers Week celebration.

He disclosed that insurance companies had applied and obtained permission for their licensed agents to sell motor insurance polices on or around DVLA premises.

"We have gladly permitted them because we thought their presence enhanced our work and also provided convenience to our customers."

However, increasingly, these agents are placing themselves between our customers and us or have admitted other people in kiosks who are doing "goro" activities.

"It is through these means that fake documents are sold to the unsuspecting motorists," he said . .

He said the DVLA had engaged the services of the police at the cost of ¢120 million who arrested some of them and prosecuted them but "they managed to find their way back."

Mr. Wusu said the "goro" activities was a general problem the authority was battling with adding, "we are trying to decentralize to reduce the workload."

As a result, Mr. Wusu said, the DVLA was exploring the possibility of licensing some garages to undertake vehicle testing on its behalf to stop the "goro" boys.

He said the authority received on a average 1000 application for driver licenses a month.

The vehicle testing equipment which were installed since 1998 "were dead" he said and that it was the "technicians who are holding them."

Mr. Wusu asked the Insurance companies to screen their agents and constantly monitor their activities in order not to "compromise our mutual interest and respective corporate integrity."

Deputy Commissioner of police George Asiamah, in another presentation, urged insurance companies to support the Police Motor Traffic Unit with resources to enable it to deliver efficient services.

Mr. Paul Quarshie of the State Insurance Company, said a draft convention was being worked out for a uniform insurance policy for the West African Sub-region under the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme.