The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has registered more than 7,700 excavators and impounded 357 vehicles suspected of customs irregularities as part of efforts to strengthen vehicle verification and enforcement in Ghana. According to the Chief Executive of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, the measures aim to improve the tracking of excavators and prevent the registration of vehicles on which customs duties have not been paid. The registration of excavators at ports of entry was introduced in collaboration with the Minerals Commission to track their movement and activities. Mr. Kotey stated that the DVLA acquired on-board diagnostic devices to verify vehicle identification numbers and detect cloned or improperly cleared vehicles. He explained that some importers use unapproved routes and attempt to register vehicles using identification numbers of vehicles for which duties have already been paid, leading to duplicate chassis numbers. The DVLA has impounded 357 vehicles and handed them over to the Ghana Revenue Authority to ensure the payment of required customs duties.