Ghana: comprehensive upgrade of Ghanaian number plate system "welcomed by motorists"
The CEO of Ghana's DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, has told media that the country's drivers welcome the introduction of new "smart" number plates and reforms to the issuing system and the format of plates.
A pilot scheme trialling the changes began on 1 August 2026. The introduction of smart plates for new and unregistered vehicles will follow in September. Full rollout will commence from 1 January 2027. The full implementation of the DVLA's plans will eventually see every Ghanaian vehicle registered or reregistered and assigned the new plates.
Amongst the changes are new location codes showing where the car was registered and the dropping of the year identifier. Mr Kotey said that the year indicator had been a disincentive for some people to complete registration, as they didn't want the age of their car to be obvious at a glance.
The new number plates will also contain radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips allowing cars to be identified electronically, thus helping to tackle crime and toll evasion.
Morocco: standardisation of number plates brings a new format
Morocco's Ministry of Equipment and Transport has brought in new rules which will update and standardise the country's vehicle registration plates. The changes were published in Official Gazette No. 7531, dated 19 Safar 1448 (August 3, 2026).
The new rules require a three-part registration number. The first part is a code that identifies the prefecture or province where the vehicle is registered; the second part specifies the registration series, using a letter rendered in both Arabic and Latin script; the third part is a serial number from 1 to 99999. Once the last serial number is reached, a new next registration series begins, and the serial number starts from 1 again.
Vehicles currently displaying international-series plates have until the end of December 2026 to reregister. Vehicles with standard Moroccan plates do not have to reregister until the vehicle is transferred to a new owner.
USA: growing anger amongst US drivers over Flock surveillance cameras
In September 2025, Regtransfers reported on controversy surrounding enforcement cameras provided by the US company Flock Safety to many state and federal agencies. Flock Safety claims contracts with more than 7,000 corporate, educational and government client entities, and the company was valued at over $8 billion earlier this year.
Flock Safety has developed automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) cameras that use AI to read licence plates, identify vehicles and track those vehicles. ALPR is basically the US term for what we in the UK call automatic number plate recognition, or ANPR.
Data from the Flock ALPR cameras, which have been adopted in many cities across the USA, is processed and stored in a database that can be accessed by local, state and federal law enforcement and other agencies.
The camera network has raised concern amongst civil liberties groups and members of the wider public. Over the last few months, that concern has intensified as stories have emerged about abuse of data and illicit access to information by both law enforcement officers and Flock employees. Many people are now expressing outright anger and hostility. In contrast, law enforcement agencies have praised the system as a useful crime-fighting tool.
As the public backlash grows, incidents of vandalism and sabotage of Flock cameras have proliferated. Online rumours that the cameras' components contain valuable metals, including gold, appear to have been started with the aim of instigating damage as criminals seek to steal the mythical valuable metals. The rumour has been taken up and erroneously spread by AI and search sites including Google.
Although Flock Safety is not the only company providing such cameras, the term "Flock cameras" is becoming a colloquial, generic label for many kinds of surveillance cameras.
Various factors, including growing public hostility and reports that ALPR cameras are producing a high proportion of misidentifications, have moved officials in several areas to end their Flock contracts or to discontinue use of the cameras and, in some cases, to cover them so they cannot be used.
Greece: number plate supply chain issues delay vehicle registrations
A number of issues, including complications over contracts to supply number plates, have resulted in regional transport offices across Greece experiencing difficulty in assigning registration numbers to new vehicles. In May 2026, we reported that problems with the availability of zinc were delaying the production of Greece's number plates. The delays have been compounded by subsequent legal actions brought by losing bidders in Greece's number plate procurement process.
The current situation means that regional offices may begin to run out of plates at any time. Plates for motorcycles are particularly badly affected. Dealers are already reporting that they are unable to deliver new motorcycles due to the unavailability of number plates. They also report that the delays are discouraging customers and affecting sales of vehicles.
In an effort to solve Greece's ongoing plate woes, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is planning legislation to replace the current slow, centralised procurement process with a fully digital system.
Number plates will be issued under the current system during the transitional period, until the digital system is implemented, subject, of course, to plates being available to distribute.
The new system is intended to work as follows:
- The vehicle owner or their agent will submit an online, digital request for new plates or for replacement plates if the old ones have been damaged, stolen or lost.
- The appropriate fee will be calculated, checked and presented to the buyer for online payment.
- When the sale is approved, a production order will be generated automatically and sent to a certified plate manufacturer.
- The process will also include checks of documentation, vehicle identification, taxes, circulation fees and the vehicle’s legal status.
It will also be easier for plate makers to join the scheme, subject to their having the required equipment to produce plates that are compliant with the technical specs and legal requirements of Greece's number plate regulations.
Companies will need the necessary machinery, comply with strict technical specifications and submit the required registration guarantee. The open register is intended to reduce dependence on one or a small number of suppliers and allow production to respond more quickly during periods of high demand.
The new digital system is also intended to accommodate requests for private number plate combinations!
