Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and former Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare, has clarified that she was not angry during her recent exchange with the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey.
The incident occurred on October 27 during a PAC hearing that reviewed the DVLA’s plan to roll out digital vehicle number plates. The exchange arose after Mrs. Osei Asare questioned aspects of privacy and data protection under the DVLA’s new digitisation initiative.
The DVLA intends to introduce number plates embedded with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, which, according to Mr. Kotey, will strengthen security and help combat vehicle-related crimes. He noted that the RFID feature would make it “very difficult for external entities to tamper with or replicate vehicle information.”
Mrs. Osei Asare, however, raised concerns about whether the new system could compromise vehicle owners’ privacy, particularly if personal details such as surnames were made visible.
Speaking on Channel One TV, the PAC Chair explained that her tone during the exchange reflected her sense of duty, not anger.
“I wasn’t angry, but when you occupy such a position, you must live up to it,” she said. “When we sit there, it’s about the people of Ghana. We echo their concerns, so when we ask questions, it’s not personal — Ghanaians need answers.”
When asked whether the issue had been resolved, she said,
“I gave him the opportunity to respond, and he chose to answer in his own way.”
The exchange underscores PAC’s ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability within public institutions as they pursue digital transformation projects, including the modernisation of vehicle registration systems.
