DVLA COMMISSIONS TUMU DISTRICT OFFICE TO BOOST ROAD SAFETY AND DECENTRALIZATION
The government has officially commissioned a new Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) district office in Tumu, within the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region, to enhance road safety, combat cross-border crime, and bring essential licensing services closer to the people.
The facility, which was commissioned on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, marks a major milestone in the decentralization of public service delivery, ending decades of inconvenience where residents of the Sissala enclave had to travel long distances to Wa to register vehicles or obtain driver’s licences.
In a keynote address delivered on behalf of the government, the Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, emphasized that the establishment of the office represents a concrete commitment to equitable development and local governance.”Decentralization is not merely about relocating offices; it is about creating opportunities, stimulating business, and building investor confidence,” Hon. Puozuing stated.
He further disclosed that the government has initiated discussions with the DVLA management to establish a similar facility in the Jirapa Municipality to further widen public access to licensing services.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Executive of the DVLA, Mr. Julius Neequaye Kotey, stated that the Tumu office was established out of necessity rather than convenience. He noted that the new office will replace “quiet unfairness” with order, speed, and respect.
Mr. Kotey explained that the authority is simultaneously modernizing its operations through data-driven systems and digitized records in close coordination with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to ensure that vehicle registrations and driver’s licences represent true roadworthiness and competence.
He urged the newly posted staff to serve with high professional standards, declaring, “The building will fade into the background the moment a client is being served. What they will remember is how you treated them”.
Before the commissioning, the Tumu Traditional Council honored the DVLA Chief Executive, Mr. Julius Neequaye Kotey, by adopting him as a son and prince of Tumu, symbolizing the adoption by dressing him in a royal smock.
The Tumu Koro, Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, expressed great joy over the development, noting that the presence of the DVLA would promote safer roads in an area that has suffered numerous fatal motorcycle accidents.
The Paramount Chief announced that the traditional council is ready to provide suitable land without delay for the construction of a permanent district office and residential accommodation for the officers. He also appealed to the DVLA management to give fair employment and internship opportunities to qualified local youth.
In a speech read by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sissala East Constituency Hon. Mohammed Issah Bataglia, the MP highlighted the strategic location of Tumu as a border town and urged the DVLA to deepen its collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Police, and other security agencies to combat vehicle fraud and safeguard national revenue.
The MP also appealed to the DVLA to introduce mobile services to reach remote communities and market centers, ensuring that no citizen is left behind in accessing essential transport services.
The ceremony brought together traditional rulers, Municipal Chief Executive for Sissala East, transport unions, security heads, and members of the local community.
By Bashiru Nuhu Bapagu