Ghana’s bid to become a regional hub for electric vehicles (EVs) could be undermined by the poor operational readiness of its initial electric bus fleet, Deputy Minister-designate for Transport, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has revealed.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Friday, July 25, 2025, Affo-Toffey disclosed that only four out of ten delivered electric buses are currently operational. The remaining six are grounded due to faults with their charging systems.
The buses form part of an initial batch from a 100-bus order placed under the previous administration to kickstart Ghana’s transition to clean transport.
“Mr. Chair, during my briefing with the Minister, I was informed that while 100 electric buses were ordered, only 10 have been delivered so far. Out of the 10, four are operational, and six have issues with the charging system,” she said, adding that the Minister of Transport had since engaged the original supplier to address the faults.
Ghana has in recent years promoted itself as a future EV hub in West Africa, with plans to integrate electric mobility into public transport, reduce emissions, and attract manufacturing investments.
However, the failure to maintain even a small fleet of buses could cast doubt on the country’s readiness.
Affo-Toffey acknowledged these risks but reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to resolving the issues and ensuring that all ten buses become fully operational.
She stressed the importance of electric mobility to Ghana’s transport future, saying, “I will work closely with my Minister to help ensure that Ghana transitions into electric mobility, because that is the direction the world is heading, and Ghana must be part of it.”
Meanwhile, operational setbacks must be swiftly resolved if Ghana is to demonstrate the technical and infrastructural capacity required to become a serious EV player in the region.
