Import Duty in Ghana by Product
What each product actually costs to clear, taken line by line from the Ghana Revenue Authority tariff. Duty band, VAT treatment and the total charge as a share of the CIF value.
Ghana charges import duty on the CIF value under the ECOWAS Common External Tariff: five bands at 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 35%. The band is decided by the HS code, not by the name of the product, which is why two things that look alike can be taxed very differently. A laptop is 5%. A television is 20%.
Duty is only the start. The ECOWAS Levy, African Union Levy, EXIM Levy, Special Import Levy and the processing fee are charged on CIF, while NHIL and GETFund are charged on CIF plus duty and VAT is charged on CIF plus duty plus NHIL plus GETFund. A 20% duty band ends up as roughly 49% of CIF once everything is added.
| Product | HS heading | Import duty | Total on CIF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1006 | 20% | ~49% |
| Used clothing | 6309 | 20% | ~49% |
| Cars and vehicles | 8703, 8704, 8711 | 5% to 20% | varies |
| Mobile phones | 8517 | 10% | ~14% |
| Electronics | 8471, 8528 | 5% to 20% | ~31% |
| Tyres | 4011, 4012 | 10% or 20% | ~37% |
Total on CIF is duty plus the CIF levies plus NHIL, GETFund and VAT at the current 15% standard rate. Vehicles vary with engine capacity, fuel type and the overage penalty, so they have no single figure.
Sources: Ghana Revenue Authority, Harmonized System Code lookup (gra.gov.gh/customs/hs_code), 6,124 tariff lines retrieved 2026-07-12; GRA, Customs Tariffs and Levies (gra.gov.gh/customs/customs-tariffs-and-levies); VAT Act, 2025 (Act 1151). Classification and valuation are decided at declaration.