China's New Energy Used Cars ‘Digging for Gold’ in West Africa

Release Date : 2025-06-10

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In the ancient and mysterious West Africa, Ghana, which is known as the ‘Cocoa Country’ and ‘Gold Coast’ on the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea, Chinese new energy vehicles are becoming the pioneering force in the green transformation of the local travelling ecology. In stark contrast to the South African market, which relies on the export of traditional fuel vehicles (e.g., the mature industrial chain of south africa used cars for export), Ghana is focusing on the future of electrification - according to incomplete statistics, there are more than 20 types of Chinese-made sedans, SUVs and minivans. According to complete statistics, there are already more than 20 Chinese-made cars, SUVs and minivans on sale in Ghana, covering a wide range of needs from family mobility to commercial freight transport.

‘Product + Service + Finance’
Closing the Loop for New Energy Vehicle Exports
In addition to new cars, Chinese new energy used cars are also trying to break into a new world in Ghana.
On 10th April, the first batch of 10 Chinese new energy used car fleet of the strategic cooperation project between China's local new energy vehicle industry chain ecological service organisation - China Multi and Ghana's leading local net car platform YANGO was officially operated in Ghana. According to the local planning for green transformation of public travel, the operating models of Ghana's online taxi platform will all be replaced with pure electric models this year, with an expected demand of around 500 vehicles.

‘The operation of the first batch of Chinese brand new energy used cars marks a key step in our strategy to build a full scene and ecology of new energy used cars going overseas around the green transformation of public travel in Ghana. With the in-depth promotion of strategic cooperation, in the future, we will also focus on the layout of the Ghanaian market of new energy vehicle after-sales service, battery repair and maintenance, supply chain finance, new car SKD plant, etc., to create a benign closed loop based on the whole industrial chain and the whole value chain dimension for the green travel transformation in Ghana.’
Chinese-branded new energy vehicles are quite popular among local consumers in Ghana. ‘I drive a Chinese-branded new energy used car, which is in good condition, has excellent performance and is inexpensive, and every day I drive it to deliver my customers to their destinations safely and on time, and the car has travelled nearly 100,000 kilometres (in trial operation) from the time I took over to now, and my passengers and I are very satisfied with the car.’ Winfred (Winford), a local Ghanaian online taxi driver, said.

‘Now the government promotes green travel, and also introduced preferential policies to encourage the import of new energy vehicles, usually travelling we also enjoy the convenience and environmental protection brought by new energy vehicles, I like the electric car, if I buy a car in the future, I will also choose the Chinese brand of electric cars. In Ghana, driving a Chinese new energy vehicle is very dignified.’ said Edward Beecham, a local passenger in Ghana.

In order to ensure that the new energy used cars exported to Ghana are in stable condition and good performance, before the vehicles are exported, we will make the vehicles well prepared according to professional standards to ensure that the health of the power batteries is above 85%, to export the used cars with standard products.

In addition to second-hand new energy passenger cars, it has also signed a strategic cooperation with the domestic new energy operation platform - Ground Iron New Energy Vehicle Service Network (hereinafter referred to as ‘Ground Iron’) to export second-hand new energy logistics vehicles and buses to the Ghanaian market. As the world's largest digital intelligent operation service provider of new energy logistics vehicles, the business of Ground Iron has reached more than 200 cities nationwide, with more than 1,700 operation service outlets, more than 170,000 vehicles under management, and more than 1.8 million interconnected charging piles within the platform. At present, the new energy logistics vehicle service network of Ground Iron covers the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and all aspects of the product lifecycle, including host factories, three electric suppliers, vehicle service providers, charging pile operators, maintenance centres, recycling factories, etc., and serves logistics scenarios such as courier logistics, freight transport platforms and retail e-commerce. With standardised services and digital intelligent solutions, the company will ensure the efficiency of products in the whole life cycle and explore the potential and space for demand enhancement.

It is understood that in order to guarantee the condition and quality of the exported new energy used logistics vehicles, before exporting to the Ghanaian market, Diyi Tie will carry out professional assessment and preparation of the vehicles in accordance with the standards according to the vehicle lifecycle data of the digital operation platform of ‘On-board Cloud’, such as testing, screening and performance enhancement of the health of the power battery to ensure that the new energy used logistics vehicles exported to the Ghanaian market are in good condition. For example, the health of the power battery is tested, screened and performance is improved, so as to ensure that the new energy used logistics vehicles exported to Ghana are in good condition in terms of asset status and user experience, such as mileage, battery health, spare parts supply, and so on.

In addition to second-hand new energy passenger cars, it has also signed a strategic cooperation with the domestic new energy operation platform - Ground Iron New Energy Vehicle Service Network (hereinafter referred to as ‘Ground Iron’) to export second-hand new energy logistics vehicles and buses to the Ghanaian market. As the world's largest digital intelligent operation service provider of new energy logistics vehicles, the business of Ground Iron has reached more than 200 cities nationwide, with more than 1,700 operation service outlets, more than 170,000 vehicles under management, and more than 1.8 million interconnected charging piles within the platform. At present, the new energy logistics vehicle service network of Ground Iron covers the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and all aspects of the product lifecycle, including host factories, three electric suppliers, vehicle service providers, charging pile operators, maintenance centres, recycling factories, etc., and serves logistics scenarios such as courier logistics, freight transport platforms and retail e-commerce. With standardised services and digital intelligent solutions, the company will ensure the efficiency of products in the whole life cycle and explore the potential and space for demand enhancement.

Talking about the co-operation between the two sides, Kang Pinglu, Chief Marketing Officer of Ground Iron New Energy Vehicle Service Network, said that Ground Iron has been focusing on the layout of the global market, and choosing to cooperate with Chinese car companies to develop the West African market can be said to be a ‘strong alliance with superimposed advantages’. ‘In the cooperation on the ground iron give full play to the domestic vehicle and spare parts supply chain, technology and digital 10 years since the precipitation of the advantages, can provide the Ghanaian market with stable and reliable, better quality of new energy used logistics vehicle source, in Ghana, the local establishment of a gradual improvement of the sales, maintenance, charging, operation of new energy used car service closed loop. We look forward to the co-operation between the two sides in Ghana, which can cooperate with each other and play a good ‘combination punch’ of Chinese new energy used logistics vehicles going overseas.’

It is understood that in order to guarantee the condition and quality of the exported new energy used logistics vehicles, before exporting to the Ghanaian market, Diyi Tie will carry out professional assessment and preparation of the vehicles in accordance with the standards according to the vehicle lifecycle data of the digital operation platform of ‘On-board Cloud’, such as testing, screening and performance enhancement of the health of the power battery to ensure that the new energy used logistics vehicles exported to the Ghanaian market are in good condition. For example, the health of the power battery is tested, screened and performance is improved, so as to ensure that the new energy used logistics vehicles exported to Ghana are in good condition in terms of asset status and user experience, such as mileage, battery health, spare parts supply, and so on.

It is worth noting that in addition to ensuring the quality and performance of the whole vehicle, Chinese enterprises have also established a new energy vehicle after-sales service network in Ghana. According to Li Chunhui, at present, the first new energy vehicle after-sales service shop and battery repair shop in West Africa with an area of 2,000 square metres, which is led by Chinese enterprises, has been opened at No. 44, Spintex Road, Accra, Ghana. In the future, according to the plan, new energy vehicle after-sales service outlets will continue to expand according to the actual needs of the local market.

‘To export new energy used cars to Ghana and even the whole of Africa and other economically underdeveloped areas, we reached a consensus with our partners: first, to ensure that the safety and quality of Chinese brand new energy used cars are guaranteed, reliable performance, for which we work with partners such as Ground Railway, to clarify the standards for the condition of the exported cars; second, in line with the principle of ploughing into the local market, and being responsible for the local market, we have made an early start in the local market, and are now working with the local market. Secondly, in line with the principle of deep cultivation of the local market and being responsible for the local market, we lay out charging, maintenance and other businesses in the local market in advance, on the one hand, to ensure the sustainable development of China's new energy used cars in the local market after going overseas, and on the other hand, we also export the proven ‘Chinese standards’ and ‘Chinese solutions’ for the electrification transformation of the local market. '.’

During the interview, Chinese business leaders said that the model of ‘product + after-sales + charging’ is not enough, and that they need to co-operate with local financial institutions in Ghana to create a closed loop of ‘product + service + finance’ for new energy vehicles, which is the first of its kind in the West African market.

‘Relying on the strong support of the Ghanaian government, through the whole service chain from product to service to finance, the whole value chain of the depth of binding and innovative cooperation, we are confident that China's new energy used car exports to Ghana bigger, deeper and stronger. And the ‘product + service + finance’ cooperation closed loop is exactly our differentiated competitive advantage.’

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