How to Import a HOWO or SHACMAN Truck to Ghana: Left-Hand Drive, GSA Conformity, and Tema Clearance

Ghana drives on the right, and that rule has teeth

Ghana's road traffic law prohibits importing a right-hand steering vehicle unless the Minister of Finance specifically authorises it. There is no informal workaround at the port, and there is no conversion that customs will accept after arrival. If you have been buying trucks for Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda, this is the single biggest change to your order sheet, because those markets run right-hand drive and Ghana does not.

Both HOWO and SHACMAN build left-hand drive as their standard domestic and export configuration, so LHD stock is easier to source and often cheaper than the right-hand drive equivalent. Confirm the steering position in writing on the proforma invoice, and check that the chassis number on the invoice matches the unit you were shown in photographs. A truck that lands at Tema in the wrong configuration is not a paperwork problem you can fix later.

Conformity moved to the Ghana Standards Authority this month

Ghana requires a Certificate of Conformity before goods are shipped, and customs clearance depends on it. The programme most exporters knew as EasyPass, administered through appointed third party inspection bodies, has just changed hands. From 1 July 2026, based on shipment date, the Ghana Standards Authority took direct control of the conformity assessment programme, and CoC applications now go to GSA rather than to the previously appointed agents.

What that means in practice:

• Applications and fees route through GSA. A supplier quoting you the old EasyPass agent process is working from stale information.
• The certificate has to be issued before shipment, not after arrival. A truck that sails without one creates a clearance problem at the destination port.
• Build the certificate timeline into your delivery schedule. Allow time for inspection at origin, in our case in Qingdao, before the vessel cutoff.

Because the handover is recent, confirm the current submission route with your clearing agent on every shipment rather than assuming last quarter's process still applies.

Age penalties are much softer for trucks than for cars

Ghana charges an overage penalty on top of normal duty, and almost every guide online describes the passenger car schedule, where the penalty climbs steeply and can reach 50 percent of CIF value. Commercial vehicles sit on a separate and far more forgiving schedule under the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891). For trucks and tipper trucks:

• Up to 10 years from the year of manufacture: no penalty
• Over 10 years and up to 12 years: 5 percent of CIF value
• Over 12 years and up to 22 years: 10 percent of CIF value

This is important if you are buying remanufactured or refurbished stock. A properly rebuilt HOWO or SHACMAN that is 11 or 12 years old attracts a penalty of 5 percent of CIF, which is usually much smaller than the price gap between that unit and a new one. Ask for a clear photograph of the chassis plate and confirm the build year before you commit, because the penalty band is set by the year the chassis was manufactured, not by the year the engine or gearbox was rebuilt.

What the duty stack actually contains

Ghana layers several charges on the CIF value, and the total is a good deal more than the headline duty rate suggests. Expect to see:

• Import duty, which depends on the HS classification. Tractor units for semi trailers and goods vehicles including tippers fall under different headings, and the rate is not the same.
• VAT, together with the NHIL and GETFund levies that sit alongside it
• ECOWAS levy and African Union import levy
• Ghana Export-Import Bank levy, and the special import levy where it applies
• Processing, network, and examination charges raised through ICUMS
• The overage penalty, if the chassis falls into one of the bands above

Rates and levies move with each national budget, so quoting fixed percentages in a blog post would mislead you within months. The reliable approach is to give your clearing agent the exact HS code and the CIF figure, have them run it through ICUMS, and get the estimate in writing before you pay a deposit.

ICUMS values your truck, not your invoice

Ghana clears imports through the Integrated Customs Management System, which references a central Home Delivery Value database. If ICUMS holds a higher value for a comparable truck than the figure on your invoice, duty is assessed on the system value.

Two things follow from that. First, asking a supplier to under-declare does not lower your duty bill, it just creates exposure for you as the importer of record. Second, if your truck genuinely is worth less than the database figure, for example an older refurbished unit rather than a low hour one, you need supporting evidence: the proforma invoice, the bill of lading, the inspection report, and photographs of the actual chassis. Bring that documentation to the valuation conversation rather than arguing without it.

Tema, Takoradi, and the corridor beyond

Tema handles the large majority of Ghana's vehicle imports and has the deepest pool of clearing agents and truck-experienced handlers. Takoradi is a workable alternative if your final destination is in the west of the country or if you are moving equipment for a mining or construction project, and it is sometimes less congested.

If your truck is heading onward to Burkina Faso, Mali, or Niger, tell your agent before the goods arrive. Transit through Ghana under a customs transit regime is a different declaration from a home consumption entry, and starting the wrong one wastes days. Either way, agree free time and demurrage terms with the shipping line up front, because storage at the port is where import budgets quietly overrun.

Registration, roadworthiness, and getting on the road

Once duty is paid and the truck is released, registration runs through the DVLA. You will need the customs entry showing duty paid, the bill of lading, the proforma or commercial invoice, and the Certificate of Conformity, along with a roadworthiness inspection. Budget for registration and inspection in your landed cost from the start rather than treating them as an afterthought, and factor in insurance before the truck moves under its own power.

A sensible sequence

Buyers who run into trouble usually do the steps in the wrong order. A cleaner sequence looks like this: confirm left-hand drive and the chassis build year before you order, appoint a Ghanaian clearing agent early and have them model the duty stack for your exact HS code, arrange conformity certification with GSA before shipment, then book the vessel. Documentation that is prepared before the truck sails costs a fraction of documentation that has to be fixed while the truck sits at Tema.

Importing a HOWO or SHACMAN truck to Ghana? We supply left-hand drive HOWO 371, HOWO NX, and SHACMAN H3000 tractor units, plus SHACMAN F3000 tippers, in new, remanufactured, and refurbished condition with full export documentation from Qingdao. Contact us for a quote and we will confirm the current GSA conformity and Ghana duty requirements for your configuration.