Importing from China to Ghana

Ghana is one of West Africa's busiest import markets, and Tema serves landlocked neighbours such as Burkina Faso as well as Ghana itself. Our Ghanaian clients include traders supplying Makola and Kantamanto markets in Accra and Kejetia in Kumasi, retailers, distributors, hotels and restaurants, and businesses buying machinery and building materials.

The problems Ghanaian buyers bring us are the same ones we hear across West Africa: suppliers who take a deposit and stop replying, goods that don't match the sample, and containers held at the port because the paperwork or the declared value is wrong. Checking the supplier, inspecting the goods and getting the documents right before shipping deals with all three.

Tema is the main container port and the usual choice for Accra and the east. Takoradi suits the Western Region. For orders from several Chinese suppliers, consolidating them into one container usually costs less than shipping each one separately. Our CBM calculator shows whether your order fits a 20-foot or 40-foot container.

Imports into Ghana are declared and cleared through ICUMS, the Integrated Customs Management System run by the Ghana Revenue Authority. In practice, a licensed customs house agent lodges the declaration, duties and taxes are assessed and paid online, any inspection is completed, and the container is released once ICUMS shows it is cleared for delivery.

The values and descriptions on your invoice and packing list must match what is found on inspection. Under-declared or vague invoices are one of the most common reasons containers are held at Tema, so we check the shipping documents against the goods before they leave China.

Commercial importers should have a Ghana Card-linked TIN, and a VAT-registered business can reclaim the import VAT it pays.

Ghana applies the ECOWAS common external tariff, which has five duty bands: 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 35%. Raw materials and machinery usually sit in the lower bands and finished consumer goods in the higher ones. Duty is charged on the CIF value (the cost of the goods, insurance and freight), and small ECOWAS and African Union levies and processing charges are added on top.

From 1 January 2026, under the new VAT Act, 2025 (Act 1151), VAT at 15% and the NHIL and GETFund levies at 2.5% each are charged together at a combined 20%, and the 1% COVID-19 levy has been abolished. Registered businesses can again claim input credit for the NHIL and GETFund parts.

Your product's HS code decides the duty band, so confirm it with your clearing agent before you order. Our landed cost calculator shows what a unit really costs once freight, duty and VAT are added.

The Ghana Standards Authority inspects goods it classes as high-risk when they arrive, including electrical appliances, some food-contact items, toys and building materials. Goods that don't meet Ghanaian standards can be held, sent back or destroyed.

Ghana runs on 230 V, 50 Hz power, and British-style three-pin plugs are the most common. Electrical goods should be ordered for that supply and carry a rating plate showing voltage, frequency and power. We ask the factory for existing test reports early and check the goods against them in our pre-shipment inspection.

• Commercial invoice and packing list, with values and descriptions that match the goods.
• Bill of lading or air waybill.
• Certificate of origin.
• Test reports or conformity certificates for regulated products.

1. 1We check suppliers before you pay anything, including their business licence and that the bank account name matches the company.
2. 2We collect and check samples, then send them to Accra together so you pay one courier fee.
3. 3We follow production in Chinese and inspect the goods before you pay the balance, with photos and video.
4. 4We arrange freight to Tema or Takoradi with partner forwarders and check the documents before the container sails.

Our guide to what sourcing agents cost and the red flags to watch for explains how to spot the most common supplier scams.