Extending Validity of Driver’s License to 10 Years will help remove Corruption and Inefficiencies – Adu Koranteng Writes

The Vice president of Ghana and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has pledged to extend the validity of the Driver’s License to 10 years from the current two year period.

According to him, the current system creates inconveniences for drivers and must be extended. “We are all drivers and our drivers’ licenses expire every two years, is that not the case? Unless you go to the DVLA to renew it why?
“We are saying let’s extend it, eight years, ten years. Let’s make sure we can have the driver’s license without having to go to renew it every year or two; it doesn’t make sense,” he stated.

In my opinion , the vice president is right and spot on based on the fact that extending the validity of the driver’s license would relieve Ghanaian drivers of the stress and frustrations they experience every two years in their quest to renew their driver’s license.

In this era of digitalization, a driver who is always busy on the road transporting passengers across the length and breadth of the country doesn’t have to go to the DVLA office for his or her license to be re-assessed or renewed. Everything is online now. The information and records of the driver is digitally captured and operating online, (cloud control). This can easily be assessed and monitored online, a move that will save time and money.

It will also help to generate enough revenue for the state since it would cut off all illegal operations of the ‘goro’ boys. Revenue over the ten year period can be calculated or accumulated over the ten year period for the driver or license holder or applicant to pay and there wouldn’t be any revenue loss or losses. This would be same as our passports acquisition process that takes 10 years to expire.

We need to embrace ourselves for more digital revolution in this era of digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. This is the time. We don’t have to miss it

We need to bear in mind that that digitalization helps to reduce cost of operation and increases revenue. It reduces corruption and inefficiencies as well. As a result Govt can decide to do the renewal once in ten years and wouldn’t lose revenue at all. It will rather generate more revenue for the state.
Currently, a driver pays between 60 and hundred cedis every two years to renew his or her license that should be about Ghc 500 cedis. That’s through the right channel. So if Govt decides that a person should pay 500 cedis for a ten year renewal it amounts to the same charges through the right and genuine channel. It takes away the inefficiencies and time wasted by the drivers to queue at the various DVLA offices to renew their licenses and giving ‘goro’ boys extra 300 400 and 500 cedis. With digitalization, it should even be possible for drivers to renew their licenses online