By Nelson Manneh
Motorists threaten nationwide protest after being told to pay again for aluminium registration plates they paid for in 2025, as police step up enforcement against vehicles without permanent plates.
Frustration is mounting among vehicle owners across The Gambia after motorists who paid for aluminium registration number plates in 2025 were reportedly told they must make fresh payments before the plates can be issued. The development has sparked threats of a nationwide protest, with affected drivers accusing the authorities of forcing them to pay twice for a service they have already paid for.
The dispute follows a change in the government’s contractor responsible for producing aluminium number plates. Motorists who hold valid receipts issued under the previous arrangement say they have been informed that the new contractor will not honour payments made before the changeover.
The situation comes as the Gambia Police Force has intensified enforcement against vehicles without permanent aluminium number plates following the expiry of an extended compliance deadline on 20 July 2026. The enforcement exercise has reportedly resulted in vehicles being stopped and impounded.
Several affected motorists who spoke to Foroyaa said they would resist any attempt to compel them to make a second payment and warned that they were prepared to organise nationwide demonstrations if the matter was not resolved.
Lamin Manjang said he paid for his vehicle registration plate in November 2025 and was issued an official receipt by the relevant authorities.
According to him, he photocopied the receipt and submitted it to the Number Plates Issuing Department in Banjul before being instructed to return after two weeks to collect the plate.
When he returned, he said, he was informed that the previous contractor was no longer responsible for producing the number plates and that he would have to wait until a new arrangement was put in place.
Manjang told Foroyaa that after months of making repeated visits to the office, he was recently informed that motorists who paid in 2025 would have to pay again before the new contractor could print their number plates.
“We went to the Number Plates Issuing Department in Banjul with my valid receipt, and I was told that all those who paid for their number plates in 2025 should repay, otherwise we will not be given number plates,” Manjang said.
He said he has spent months trying to obtain the number plate without success.
“Since February, I have been going up and down for nothing. If I come here, they explain issues that I cannot understand. How can we suffer for something we didn’t do? We were not part of the contract between the government and the previous contractors. If their contract elapsed, why should we suffer?”
Another motorist, Musa Jarju, said he had spent considerable money travelling repeatedly to the issuing office, only to be told that he must make another payment.
He described the situation as unfair and warned that affected motorists were considering collective action.
“This government is not for the public; instead, it is for itself. Why should we pay again for something that we paid for months ago? If this continues, we are going to mobilize ourselves and protest against this injustice. We will never pay again or let our money go.”
Jarju also claimed that the police enforcement exercise had disrupted his work.
“The Traffic Police officers are also on the highway, parking our vehicles and collecting money from us. They said that they are enforcing a directive to park all vehicles without the aluminum number plates.”
Mariama Conteh, another affected vehicle owner, also rejected the demand for a fresh payment. She said she would support any peaceful protest organised by motorists over the issue.
“I am in for the protest,” Madam Conteh said. “The government cannot unlawfully collect money from innocent people. We cannot pay twice for a single number plate. That has never happened. It is only under this government we are seeing this.”
The motorists maintained that they possess valid receipts issued after making payment for the number plates and argued that administrative changes involving government contractors should not affect payments already made.
They called on the relevant authorities to honour receipts issued under the previous arrangement and issue the outstanding number plates without requiring additional payments. Foroyaa attempted to obtain the response of the Gambia Police Force by contacting its Public Relations Officer by telephone, but calls went unanswered.
The media outlet was also unable to immediately obtain comments from officials responsible for the production and issuance of vehicle number plates regarding the reported requirement for motorists to make fresh payments. Foroyaa will continue to follow the matter and seek responses from the relevant authorities.
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