Second Hand Products: Importers to pay levy on imported second-hand electronic gadgets from October 1

Prof. Frimpong Boateng

Prof Frimpong Boateng said they will enforce the law which is in line with the global Basel Convention which Ghana signed with other countries in 2003 to control transboundary movement of Hazardous waste.

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Frimpong Boateng has said that Importers of second-hand electronic gadgets pay levies on the imported product from October 1, 2018.

In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Prof Frimpong Boateng said they will enforce the law which is in line with the global Basel Convention which Ghana signed with other countries in 2003 to control transboundary movement of Hazardous waste.

Per the implementation, an External Service Provider, Société General Du Serviellance, (SGS), a multinational company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, will take inventory of goods in their country of origin and charge importers before the goods leave that country for Ghana.

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He explained that this levy is different from the duties the importers will pay when their goods arrive at the port.

Prof Frimpong Boateng said the implementation of the Levy is expected to generate $100 million annually to the government.

He said that the lack of an external service provider with the capacity to take the Levy in every country delayed the enforcement of the law.

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“I went to work, doing the necessary consultations as required by law. The president and his cabinet approved a memorandum that my ministry submitted SGS as the External Service Provider.”

As part of the agreement, SGS will also build an e-waste recycling plant near Agbogbloshie to address the challenge of e-waste dumping in the country.

Stakeholders have started sensitising the general public ahead of the implementation.

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