By Kingsley Asiedu
The General Secretary of the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association, Gifty Loveluck Naana Fianu, has clarified that the prices of vehicle spare parts are not directly linked to fuel prices, but rather to the high import duties and related costs faced by importers.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsGhanaonline, Mrs. Fianu emphasized that while recent reductions in fuel prices have been welcomed, they do not translate into automatic decreases in the cost of spare parts.
“Our goods depend on the dollar rate and import duty. The dollar rate is now stable, which is good for us, but the duty remains very high, and it’s not making things easy,” she said.
She explained that numerous expenses are incurred before imported goods reach the local market — from visa fees and air tickets to freight charges, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) fees, and demurrage costs.
“When the Ports Authority works out the duty for you and you delay payment, extra charges start to build up after one week, and if you still can’t pay after two weeks, demurrage begins. Later, penalties follow, and finally, your goods risk being auctioned,” Mrs. Fianu lamented.
She appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to fulfill his promise of instituting a fixed exchange rate system for importers, which she believes would stabilize spare parts prices and ease the financial burden on traders.
“If there is a fixed rate, it will help us a lot. We also urge the government to work with banks so that they can lift our containers from the ports to a safe place while we negotiate payments. The demurrage we pay doesn’t even stay in Ghana; it goes elsewhere,” she noted.
While commending the government’s overall performance, Mrs. Fianu urged authorities to urgently address inefficiencies at the ports to help traders reduce operational costs and prevent further hardship.
She also appealed to customers to exercise patience and negotiate prices reasonably, stressing that the market remains flexible through bargaining.
“When petrol prices come down, it doesn’t mean spare parts prices must also drop. Please, when you come to buy, bargain. There’s a lot that goes into bringing these parts to your doorstep,” she said.
Mrs. Fianu concluded by urging the government to review import duties to make them more affordable, saying that only then will the prices of spare parts reduce significantly.