In line with President John Dramani Mahama’s promise to remove the law banning the importation of salvaged vehicles into the country, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu- Adjare, has been engaging stakeholders in the automobile industry.
The Customs (Amendment) Act 2020, prohibits the importation of salvaged motor vehicles, including those wrecked, destroyed or damaged by collision, fire, water or other occurrences.
But the President during the 2024 election campaign promised to review the Act to allow for the importation of those vehicles on the ground that it was negatively impacting artisans in the industry and the transport business.
To achieve this, the Minister has embarked on stakeholder consultation to elicit their views as part of efforts to amend the Act as promised by the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flag Bearer.
She has since engaged dealers in brand new cars, second-hand car dealers and assemblers in Accra to collate their concerns ahead of the amendment.
The latest to be engaged by the Minister is the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO) in Kumasi which is made up of various trade associations in the Suame Magazine enclave.
Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare assured them of the President’s commitment to redeem his promise to enhance their businesses as major players in the automobile industry.
There can be no doubt, that Ghana has become one huge dumping ground for waste, primarily waste generated in western countries.
It is the consequence of the industry in second hand clothes. Which has now developed into a full grown trade in all manner of used items from the West, and with rapidly increasing occurrence and regularity, the East.
It is a trite fact that over 90% of Ghanaians, for instance, wear used clothing; that is clothing that has been worn by other people in the West, and subsequently dumped. This is collected, packaged, sent to Ghana, and sold for reuse by Ghanaians, who believe it is cheaper.
The fact is that even though cheaper, they do not last as long, and eventually, find their way to the refuse dump.
A similar situation is what has occurred in the automotive sector. In the name of poverty and low prices, Ghana has allowed itself to be inundated with millions of units of used vehicles and parts, and more is on the way. And eventually, most of them would be found parked at police stations, by the street side, and in the shops of mechanics, serving as hulks.
It was why, after many years of study, past governments found it necessary to impose a ban on vehicles who date of manufacture demonstrate that they are older than ten years.
The reason is simple. Vehicles that are so old, require more servicing and parts. They are also not as safe as newer models. They are also more susceptible to accidents. This can be manifested by the number of vehicle wrecks that have taken over virtually all police stations in Ghana.
It is for these reasons that we call on the Mahama Administration to demonstrate extreme circumspection on this matter. It is a fact that previous governments knew that allowing old cars to be imported, led to the creation of employment, but the social and economic cost was weighed against that, and the latter was found to be weightier.
It is why many thought that some of the promises Mr. Mahama made to win elections were reckless. But when he was making those promises, he had a mandate. Now that he is president, he has a different, much more responsible mandate, and he would do well to let the new mandate guide his actions.
He should know, that if this time-tested decision is reversed, it would lead to more accidents and deaths, and may prove to be cumbersome to reverse.
(Editorial of the Daily Searchlight of 17th March, 2025).
