The Association of Spare Parts Dealers at Sunyani Magazine, has registered its displeasure at the proposed ban of the importation of second-hand spare parts into the country.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday in Sunyani, the secretary of the association Mr. James Agyei, said although Vice-President John Mahama had proposed a national debate on the issue, the association did not support the idea.
He said the spare parts business was their source of livelihood and a ban on its importation would render many jobless, adding to the already high unemployment rate in the country.
Mr. Agyei reiterated that the high spate of road accidents in the country could not be attributed to the use of second-hand spare parts, saying; “majority of road accidents are caused by the bad nature of our roads, non-maintenance of vehicles, negligence and carelessness on the part of some drivers”.
The secretary however said that third grade second-hand tyres could be banned.
He urged the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) to verify the quality of all imported second-hand products before allowing them on the market.
A member of the association, Mr. Kwaku Akoto, said the second-hand or “home used” spare parts were of the best quality, saying those produced for the African market were of sub-standard quality.
“There is no manufacturing company that produces spare-parts in Ghana and the ban would not only affect retailers but also users of both commercial and private vehicles.”
Mr. Akoto stressed that “because second-hand spare parts are of high quality and affordable, it was the preferred choice of many buyers”, adding, some brand new spare-parts of some vehicles were not available on the Ghanaian market.