Lawyer sues Ghana Standards Authority over restrictions on importation of used vehicles

A private legal practitioner, Alex Dodoo, has sued the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) at the High Court in Accra, challenging its enforcement of standards that prohibit the importation of certain used vehicles.

Mr Dodoo, through his lawyers, Dodoo & Partners, filed the suit at the High Court (General Jurisdiction) on October 5, 2026, seeking to prevent the Authority from enforcing the restrictions.

The GSA's Director-General's Office received the writ of summons on October 9. The Authority has eight days from the date of service to enter an appearance, failing which judgment may be entered in its absence.

The plaintiff is asking the court to declare that the strict enforcement of the National Vehicle Standards to prohibit the importation of used vehicles is unlawful and contrary to law.

He is also seeking an order restraining the GSA from enforcing the standards outlined in its public notices dated August 3 and August 14, 2026, as well as an award of costs.

GSA's vehicle importation restrictions

The legal action follows two public notices issued by the GSA concerning the implementation of its National Vehicle Homologation and Conformity Assessment programme.

In its August 3 notice, the Authority announced that strict enforcement of the programme would begin on October 1, 2026. It also directed new vehicle manufacturers and assemblers, alongside used-vehicle importers, distributors and dealers, to register with the Authority.

A subsequent notice issued on August 14 outlined the administrative framework for implementing the standards.

According to the plaintiff's statement of claim, the restrictions cover used vehicles that have been submerged in or damaged by floods, burnt or damaged by fire, or fitted with broken, cracked, bent or twisted chassis or safety cages.

The prohibited categories also include vehicles assembled from spare parts, those without speedometers displaying readings in kilometres per hour, and vehicles more than 15 years old.

The notice further bars vehicles that have not been inspected in their country of origin by a GSA-approved third-party inspection body and issued with a Certificate of Conformance.

Lawyer challenges GSA's authority

Mr Dodoo argues that the GSA can prohibit the importation of goods only where they fail to meet a prescribed mandatory standard or where the Authority is acting under the authority of a statute.

He contends that the National Vehicle Standards have not been declared mandatory under any law or legal instrument.

According to his case, the power to declare a standard mandatory rests with the Minister responsible for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, and no notice declaring the vehicle standards mandatory has been published in the Gazette.

The plaintiff argues that by treating the standards as mandatory without the required ministerial declaration, the GSA is exercising a power that belongs to the Minister.

He is therefore asking the court to intervene and restrain the Authority from continuing what he considers an unlawful enforcement of the standards.

The writ describes the GSA as a body corporate responsible for establishing and maintaining standards for goods and services produced, procured or imported into Ghana.

Importers await court proceedings

No hearing date had been set at the time of filing this report, and it was not immediately clear whether the GSA had filed a response to the suit. The Authority had not publicly commented on the matter at the time.

The case comes weeks after the October 1 enforcement date and could have significant implications for used-vehicle importers, dealers and Ghanaians who depend on imported second-hand cars.

The court's eventual determination could clarify the extent of the GSA's authority to restrict vehicle imports and whether such restrictions require a formal declaration by the responsible Minister.