This statistic shows the main import partners for Ghana in 2020. In 2020, the most important import partner for Ghana was China with a share of 41 percent in all imports.

As of 2023, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland were the leading destinations of exports from Ghana, as they imported merchandise of over three billion U.S. dollars and 2.8 billion U.S. dollars from the West African country, respectively. China and South Africa were other main export trade partners of Ghana.

Top Import Trading Partners of Ghana with import value and Year on Year growth comparison

In the second quarter of 2023, Ghana imported most of its merchandise from the Far East, covering 33.6 percent of the total imports. The European Union (EU) followed, at 23 percent. Within the quarters observed, the Far East and the European Union (EU) led Ghana's merchandise import regions.

China in the import lead

Ghana is one of the African countries mainly importing from China, after Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. The East Asian country was Ghana’s leading import trade partner in 2019, accounting for 24 percent of the country’s imports. In 2020, Ghana’s imports from China reached more than 6.7 billion U.S. dollars, representing an increase of around 37 percent compared to the preceding year. Specifically, food products imported from China amounted to approximately 207 million U.S. dollars.

Ghanaians import motor vehicles

Goods imported into Ghana reached a total of 13.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Manufactured goods registered the highest import value compared to other commodities such as agricultural products, fuels, and mining products. For instance, imports of motor cars and transport vehicles used to transport persons and goods amounted to about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, representing the leading imported product in the country.

As of 2019, around 533 million U.S. dollars of wood were imported into Ghana. Over the period observed, the highest value was achieved in 2017, when 861.8 million U.S. dollars of the product was imported. Moreover, the import value of wood decreased significantly in 2018, with the country recording less than half of the value recorded in the previous year. The United Kingdom was Ghana's main trade partner in terms of wood imports.

In 2023, intra-African export trade in Ghana added up to around 3.5 billion U.S. dollars. This marked a decrease of over 26 percent compared to the previous year. According to a survey, African CEOs recognize the lack of access to information on markets, opportunities, and trading partners as major constraints preventing intra-African export trade.

As of 2019, 740 U.S. dollars of iron ore were imported into Ghana. Within the period observed, the highest value of imports was reached in 2017, at roughly 1.1 million U.S. dollars, while the lowest was registered in 2010, at 440 U.S. dollars. The United Kingdom was the main trade partner of Ghana in terms of iron ore imports in 2019 with a share of 37.1 percent.

Norway and India were the main countries from which Ghana imported fish oil in 2020. The countries together accounted for nearly 70 percent of the total fish oil imports in Ghana that year. Germany and the United Kingdom were other major trade partners.

As of 2020, Italy and Germany were the main importers of metals from Ghana. Exports to the countries represented 19.9 percent and 9.61 percent of the total metal exports, respectively. The Netherlands, Burkina Faso, and Niger were other main trade partners of Ghana in terms of metal exports.