IMANI Africa has questioned the Ghana Standards Authority’s decision to restrict the importation of used vehicles older than 15 years, arguing that vehicle safety should be determined primarily by roadworthiness rather than age.

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

The policy, which is expected to take effect from October 1 under the GS 4510:2022 conformity regime, has prompted a wider debate over whether age alone should be enough to prevent a vehicle from entering Ghana.

IMANI said Ghana had every right to prevent dangerous and defective vehicles from entering the country and supported efforts to sanitise the used vehicle market.

However, it said the key issue was whether “age should outweigh roadworthiness” when determining which vehicles could be imported.

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“Are we regulating danger or regulating birthdays?” IMANI asked.

The policy means a used vehicle could be mechanically sound, structurally intact, properly maintained and compliant with emissions standards, but still be refused entry because it is more than 15 years old.

IMANI also raised questions about the legal basis for the new age restriction, pointing to the Customs (Amendment) Act, 2020, Act 1014.

It said Section 154(3) of the law provides that the Finance Minister, in consultation with the Trade Minister, may, through a Legislative Instrument, specify when vehicles above a certain age can no longer be imported.

The organisation said that the law refers to a 10-year threshold, while the new policy proposes a 15-year limit.

“Fifteen may even be economically more realistic than ten. But administrative convenience cannot perform plastic surgery on an Act of Parliament,” IMANI said.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana