Veep on measures to check fake insurance stickers

Beginning next month, passengers of commercial vehicles using their mobile phones can check whether the vehicles they are boarding have been properly insured and registered at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) using their mobile phones, Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has disclosed.

He said it would be done by integrating and synchronising the data of the DVLA and that of the National Insurance Commission (NIC).

The Vice-President was speaking at the NIC Chairman’s cocktail reception which brought together key players in the insurance sector.

He said the database of the NIC and the DVLA would be integrated and go live in January 2020 to complete another plank of the digitisation agenda of the government.

“After meetings with the DVLA and the National Insurance Commission about creating better synergies between them, it is expected that the motor insurance database will be connected to the DVLA system in January 2020 so that before a vehicle is issued with a road worthiness certificate, it can be verified whether it has a valid insurance cover from a licensed insurance company.

“The motor database will also make it possible for the travelling public to verify the authenticity of the insurance policies of commercial vehicles before they board such vehicles. All you have to do is to enter the number of the car on your phone, even if it is a ‘yam’ phone, and you can tell if the trotro or bus you are about to board is properly insured or not.

“You will know whether you are safe sitting in that car. This certainly brings better awareness and protection for the ordinary Ghanaian.

“The database will also help to stop the leakages from the insurance revenues through fake motor insurance stickers”.

Already, after the digitisation of the DVLA, he said, the incidence of ‘Goro boys’ had been curtailed, with same thing happening at the Passport Office.

“So we are getting there. The digitisation agenda, which is designed to make accessing government services easier, is on course,” he stated.

Cyber crimes

Dr Bawumia also noted that even though digitisation brought significant advantages and opportunities, it also created vulnerabilities which could be critical and, therefore ,needed to be carefully managed.

He said the government had, therefore, taken steps to protect the nation’s information infrastructure as part of the digitisation programme.

“Appropriate laws have been passed to provide the needed framework for the fight against cyber criminals.

“The Electronic Transactions Act and the Electronic Payments Act regulate and protect electronic transactions and payments. The Data Protection Act also protects the private data of government, citizens and businesses in Ghana.

“Secondly, a National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy has been developed to monitor and protect the nation’s cyber space. Again, the national SIM re-registration exercise scheduled for early 2020 is another initiative to mitigate cyber-crimes committed using mobiles phones,” he noted.

Digitisation drive

The Commissioner of Insurance, Justice Yaw Ofori, for his part, said the insurance sector was playing its part to support the country’s digitisation drive.

He said the NIC had rolled out a number of initiatives that were in sync with the government’s effort to digitise the economy.

“The NIC is well aligned with the government’s digital opportunities aimed at developing a digital strategy and an implementation plan to establish Ghana as a leader in ICT innovation in sub saharan Africa by 2023.

Highlights of 2019

Sharing some highlights of 2019, he said, the year had been an eventful one which had seen the NIC made progress in getting the New Insurance Bill passed.

“We believe that with the gains made this year, the bill will be passed into law by June 2020.

“We are also working with willing entities to ensure that following the announcement of the minimum requirement, they meet the requirement by the deadline,” he added.

Chairman’s cocktail

The NIC Chairman’s cocktail is an initiative of the Chairman of the NIC Board of Directors instituted in 2017.

This year’s event was held on the theme: ‘Digitising Ghana’s economy- the role of the insurance sector’.