‘To err is human’ — Really?
Recently, Ghanaians were treated to yet another surprise when it emerged that a contract that the Driver and Vehicular Licensing Authority (DVLA) had signed with a vendor for $3.6 million in 2012 had mysteriously ballooned to $9.9 million under bizarre circumstances that the then-CEO could not even fathom.
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In the end, the ex-CEO, appearing before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport, conceded that he could not explain how the $6 million difference occurred, concluding by reminding the committee that “To err is human”.
I am sure that the matter is still being looked into, and I do not intend to pass judgement on the matter without the benefit of having more details than have been reported now.
As a matter of fact, I have the utmost respect for Mr Justice Amegashie, who is well-regarded as a seasoned technical expert on road safety issues. We need more advocates such as him to keep up the crusade on responsible road behaviour across Ghana.
It is my hope and that of other Ghanaians that the Attorney-General’s Department (AG), Parliament and EOCO will continue with the probe to establish the extent of financial loss that may have been caused.
A number of questions are, however, still on the lips of concerned Ghanaians, such as the following:
Who were the technocrats and lawyers who reviewed the contract documents?
Does the DVLA have an in-house legal team, or does it rely on the AG to review the agreements that it signs up for?
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Who had custody of the final signed copies of the contract?
How much has been paid so far? Who authorised these payments, and on what basis did such persons authorise such payments?
More broadly speaking, does the DVLA have an annual operating plan or a longer-term strategy? How does this particular contract fit into that strategy?
Does the authority plan to outsource the printing of licenses indefinitely?
What about their day-to-day revenue from fees paid – how does that fit into their operating model?
If the deal was not good to begin with, how on earth was a decision taken to renew it other than the public pressure to do so in order to clear the backlog of licenses due for printing?
Did the backlog alone not suggest that things were not working as well as they should have?
Human error syndrome
The latest DVLA saga is yet another example of the laid-back approach to public sector performance as far as outsourcing and value-for-money transactions are concerned.
It appears that government is only actively interested in two things: the selection and appointment of CEOs and board members of these agencies of state as well as the allowances and incentives, but it should not end there.
Every subvented organisation has a critical role to play for the public and for governance, and their leadership must be mandated with clearly defined terms of reference and performance contracts that spell out what and how they are expected to deliver.
The appointing ministry or authority should carry out regular performance reviews and also hold their leaders accountable for sound record-keeping practices and handing over processes as different individuals join and leave along the line.
In this era of ambiguity in national identification, the DVLA has a unique opportunity to capture a large portion of Ghanaian adult citizens who are 18 years and older.
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The agency also needs more streamlined processes to automate their knowledge tests, make renewals easier, weed out the “goro” boys from their premises and assist in the enforcement of compulsory insurance in the transport sector.
The agency can also enhance its revenue by promoting the sale of customised plates. The untapped potential of the DVLA is truly vast, and now is not the time to accommodate “human error”.