Clean Energy Chamber Calls for Lower Import Duties to Boost EV Industry
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
The Ghana Chamber of Clean Energy (GCCE), in partnership with the International Perspective for Policy & Governance (IPPG), has released its inaugural Ghana Clean Transportation Outlook 2026, highlighting the country’s evolving electric mobility market and recommending policy measures to accelerate growth and industrial development.
According to the Outlook, Ghana’s transition to clean transportation is currently taking shape across three vehicle segments: passenger electric vehicles (EVs), electric motorbikes and tricycles, and electric public transport (trotros and buses). The report focuses primarily on passenger EVs and electric two- and three-wheelers, where market activity is already emerging.
The report indicates that electric motorbikes and tricycles are the most advanced segment, naturally aligning with Ghana’s informal “okada” economy and the growth of delivery services. Operators in this segment are already locally assembling and manufacturing vehicles and batteries, introducing battery-swapping and service-based deployment models that reduce upfront costs and keep vehicles in daily commercial use. These dynamics, GCCE notes, make electric motorbikes and tricycles the most immediate opportunity for scaling industrial development and job creation within the e-mobility sector.
In contrast, passenger EV adoption remains constrained by strong competition from imported internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, particularly used models. These vehicles benefit from established supply chains, accessible spare parts, trained mechanics, and lower initial costs, limiting the development of local value chains for passenger EVs. Overall, the Outlook finds that private-sector initiative, rather than government support, has been the primary driver of early adoption, with companies investing in imports, local assembly, charging infrastructure, and battery-swapping services despite high costs and policy uncertainties.
To accelerate market formation and scale, GCCE recommends short-term policy interventions such as reducing import duties and taxes on EVs and components for local assembly of motorbikes and tricycles. It also calls for clearer implementation of existing incentives and preferential electricity tariffs for EV charging and battery-swapping stations.
Over the medium term, the Outlook advocates expanding EV-specific financing and risk-sharing mechanisms in partnership with local financial institutions to improve affordability. It further emphasizes strengthening support for local assembly and manufacturing, while adopting segment-specific frameworks under the National Electric Vehicle Policy to reflect the differing economics of passenger EVs, two- and three-wheelers, and public transport.
GCCE concludes that aligning government interventions with observed market realities will be critical to unlocking industrial development, attracting private investment, and building a competitive, sustainable, and environmentally beneficial clean transportation ecosystem in Ghana.
This report underscores that targeted policy and regulatory action could catalyse Ghana’s EV sector, reducing urban pollution, lowering fuel import dependence, and creating new economic opportunities.
