GhanaClassifies investigations have revealed that Ghana has emerged as the highest importer of excavators in West Africa and the second-largest in Africa, raising fresh concerns about the country’s fight against illegal mining.
An analysis of trade data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) shows that Ghana spent $205 million on excavator imports in 2023—more than double the $94 million imported by Nigeria, despite Nigeria’s larger economy and landmass. On the continental scale, Ghana ranked second, trailing only South Africa, which recorded $436 million worth of imports in the same year.
The report also uncovered a dramatic surge in night-time clearance of excavators at the Tema Port, with customs sources confirming that over 200 excavators are received through the port daily.
In June 2025, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe himself described the influx as nothing short of an “invasion,” warning of both regulatory and environmental dangers.
“We receive over 200 excavators daily into our port,” he admitted. “For three weeks now, after ordering a halt in their clearance, we have over 1,200 excavators stuck at Tema Port. Intelligence reports also indicate nearly 3,000 more are currently en route by sea.”
This sharp rise has pushed excavators into Ghana’s top ten most imported products, surpassing household staples such as mobile phones, computers, and sugar.
Between 2013 and 2023, Ghana’s total excavator import bill hit nearly $967 million, confirming a decade-long upward trend. In 2023 alone, excavators ranked as Ghana’s 10th most imported productout of 4,282 categories, placing the country 34th worldwide.
The machines are sourced largely from China ($95.4m) and India ($67.7m), with additional imports from Belgium ($11.9m), Japan ($6.23m), and South Korea ($6.21m).
Industry experts warn that the growing inflow is directly fueling the expansion of illegal mining (galamsey), which has devastated Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands. The situation has become so severe that both the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) recently demanded major tariff hikes, citing the heavy costs of galamsey damage to their operations.
The revelations raise critical questions about the effectiveness of Ghana’s excavator import ban and the broader fight against environmental destruction.
