Petroleum products dominate Ghana’s 2025 imports at GH¢51.7bn

By Prince Antwi August 6, 2026

Diesel and petrol were Ghana’s most expensive imported products in 2025, jointly accounting for more than one-fifth of the country’s total import expenditure, new data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed.

The 2025 Annual International Merchandise Trade Statistics Report indicated that diesel imported for the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) recorded the highest import value, amounting to GH¢28.46 billion and representing 11.2 per cent of Ghana’s total imports.

Light oils, including petrol (super), followed as the second-largest import item, with a value of GH¢23.24 billion, equivalent to 9.2 per cent of the country’s total import bill.

Together, diesel and petrol imports cost Ghana GH¢51.7 billion, reflecting the country’s continued reliance on imported petroleum products despite ongoing efforts to expand domestic refining capacity and reduce foreign exchange pressures.

The figures highlight the need to accelerate investments in local refining infrastructure and improve Ghana’s trade balance by reducing dependence on imported fuel products.

Outside the petroleum sector, used vehicles with engine capacities ranging from 1,500cc to 3,000cc emerged as the third-largest import category, valued at GH¢9.33 billion.

Crude petroleum ranked fourth with imports worth GH¢5.78 billion, while cement clinkers, an essential input for cement manufacturing, placed fifth with a value of GH¢4.76 billion.

Other major imports among the top ten included off-highway dump trucks, used vehicles with engine capacities between 1,000cc and 1,500cc, self-propelled bulldozers, processed cereal products and frozen chicken.

According to the GSS report, the ten leading imported commodities accounted for 34.3 per cent of Ghana’s overall imports, with other goods making up the remaining 65.7 per cent.

Ghana’s total import value for 2025 stood at GH¢253.23 billion.

The breakdown of the import basket shows that energy products, vehicles and industrial materials continue to dominate Ghana’s external trade.

The data also reveal ongoing structural challenges, particularly the country’s dependence on imported refined fuels and machinery, despite government initiatives aimed at boosting local production, industrial development and import substitution.