By Grace Zigah
The National Democratic Congress government is preparing to introduce a new pre-shipment vehicle inspection regime that will change how used vehicles are imported into Ghana, with vehicles required to undergo conformity checks in their countries of origin before they are shipped to the country.
The new system, being implemented under the Ghana Standards Authority’s (GSA) Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme, is scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2026.
The programme requires imported used vehicles to be inspected before shipment and, where they meet the applicable Ghanaian standards, issued with a Certificate of Conformity.
The headline US$300 charge, however, has become a major point of discussion among vehicle importers and other industry players. While the inspection programme and its October 1 commencement have been confirmed, the sources reviewed do not independently establish that US$300 is a universal mandatory fee for every imported vehicle. That figure should therefore be treated as a reported charge pending clarification of the official fee structure.
Under the new arrangement, vehicles intended for Ghana will be inspected in their countries of export by approved inspection bodies before shipment. The process is intended to ensure that vehicles comply with Ghana Standard GS 4510 and other applicable safety, environmental and technical requirements.
The GSA says the wider objective is to prevent unsafe, substandard and environmentally harmful vehicles from entering Ghana while improving consumer protection and strengthening regulation within the automotive sector. The Authority has explained that the national vehicle homologation and conformity assessment programme has been operating since 2020, with stricter enforcement of the applicable standards beginning on October 1.
15-Year Vehicle Age Limit
One of the most significant changes under the new framework is the prohibition of used vehicles that are more than 15 years old.
The GSA’s administrative framework also prohibits the importation of flood-damaged vehicles, fire-damaged vehicles, vehicles with serious chassis or safety-cage damage, vehicles assembled from spare parts and vehicles without speedometers displaying readings in kilometres per hour.
The new 15-year limit represents a change from Ghana’s previous system, under which older vehicles could attract additional customs penalties rather than being automatically prohibited under the same conformity framework. The existing Customs Act, for example, provides different penalty rates for older imported vehicles.
The GSA says the new approach is intended to address concerns about the quality and safety of vehicles entering the country.
GSA Standards Officer Kingsley Domena Yeboah previously told the Ghana News Agency that Ghana imports more than 90 per cent of its vehicles as used vehicles, with significant numbers of pre-owned, accident-damaged, flooded, burnt, right-hand-drive and overaged vehicles entering the market.
Omanbapa’s Role
Omanbapa Auto & PVoC Ltd has been identified as the Ghanaian company involved in coordinating implementation of the inspection programme with international inspection organisations.
Omanbapa says it is working with internationally accredited Type A inspection bodies to conduct conformity assessments and facilitate the issuance of Certificates of Conformity for vehicles destined for Ghana. It announced that inspections in Japan, in partnership with Autoterminal Japan Ltd, will commence on October 1.
The company has also disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the GSA as part of preparations for the programme and that a service arrangement was being developed for the nationwide rollout.
This involvement has prompted questions from some stakeholders about the contractual structure, procurement arrangements, inspection fees and the distribution of revenue generated from the programme.
Those questions are particularly relevant to the reported US$300 charge. If such a fee applies per vehicle, importers will want clarity on the legal basis for the payment, the party receiving it, the services covered and whether additional charges could arise during the inspection and certification process.
Potential Impact on Importers
Ghana imports tens of thousands of vehicles every year, making any new mandatory cost potentially significant for businesses and individual importers.
If a US$300 charge were applied to 100,000 vehicles annually, the simple calculation would produce US$30 million in annual inspection charges. However, that is a projection based on the reported fee and estimated import volume; it should not be presented as an established annual revenue figure without confirmation of the actual applicable fee and the number of vehicles subject to it.
Importers could also face other costs depending on how the inspection system operates, including expenses associated with transportation to inspection facilities, handling, storage, re-inspection or correcting defects identified before shipment.
The overall concern among industry operators is that additional compliance costs could eventually be transferred to consumers through higher vehicle prices.
Pressure on Local Artisans
The policy could also have implications for the vehicle repair and refurbishment industry.
