The Chief Executive Officer of Zonda Tec Ghana, Yang Yang, has credited Ghana’s vehicle assembly policy with significantly boosting consumer confidence in Chinese automobile brands, as more buyers embrace locally assembled vehicles.
According to her, the combination of government support for local assembly and growing public acceptance has contributed to increased demand for the company’s vehicles, which are now assembled domestically for the Ghanaian market.
Policy leverage driving local assembly
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, July 31, ahead of the Channel One TV and Zonda Tec Auto Sale and Expo, Madam Yang said assembling vehicles in Ghana has encouraged consumers to view the products differently, increasing patronage.
“In 2023, 2024, there was an auto policy. So we got some leverage. And then we assembled the vehicles in Ghana,” she said.
She added that local assembly has strengthened consumer confidence because many Ghanaians now see the vehicles as locally produced. “Thanks to Citi, you have been promoting assembled in Ghana. So Ghanaians also feel that this is the Ghana brand. They started patronising the GWM,” Madam Yang stated.
The government’s 2019 Automotive Development Policy aims to reduce reliance on used vehicle imports by promoting local assembly. Additionally, the 2024 Budget extended zero VAT on locally assembled vehicles for an additional two years, providing continued support to the local automotive industry.
Entering a used-car dominated market
Zonda Tec currently assembles GWM and Chery vehicles in Ghana, having expanded into the automotive sector in 2022. Madam Yang said the company entered the market after conducting two years of research, which found that between 80 and 85 per cent of vehicles on Ghana’s roads were home-used imports. Used vehicles account for more than 70 per cent of vehicle imports in Ghana, with the country importing close to three billion dollars worth of used and new cars in 2025 alone.
She said her own experience with used vehicles reinforced her decision to focus on new vehicles. “When I started my business, I also bought home-used vehicles. Within that one year, it was really like hell to me. So I made this to myself. If I’m capable of doing the auto business, I will start a new business,” she recounted.
Overcoming initial resistance
The Zonda Tec CEO acknowledged that convincing Ghanaians to embrace Chinese brands was initially challenging, given the dominance of Japanese, German and Korean vehicles in the local market.
“When I started, for the first year, it didn’t move fast. But I didn’t give up,” she said, explaining that the company allowed some customers to test its vehicles before making payment — a strategy she said helped build confidence and attract new buyers through referrals.
A personal journey from poverty to prosperity
Madam Yang, who came from a poor rural background in China, has previously described Ghana as “heaven” compared to the difficult conditions she experienced growing up. She has employed around 1,000 Ghanaians, whom she describes as skilled workers rather than labourers.
Drawing lessons from China’s auto industry success
Drawing on her background, Madam Yang said China’s success in the automobile industry is the result of government policies implemented more than 30 years ago. She explained that the Chinese government invited global manufacturers such as Toyota and Volkswagen to establish factories in China, supported with incentives including free land, tax holidays and access to the local market.
“The condition was they send their engineers to China to train our engineers, and we give them 15 years tax-free,” she explained. The policies enabled Chinese engineers to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to develop local technologies.
“It’s like everybody said, ‘Oh wow, how come China’s auto industry got prosperous in one day?’ No, it’s not in one day. It’s 30 years,” she said.
Yang said sustained government support helped Chinese automakers become globally competitive, with companies such as GWM investing heavily in research and innovation to develop their own hybrid technologies and produce affordable vehicles. “Look now, he has all his own technology. GWM has been dominating the Chinese market for 17 years. It was also because the price is nearly half that of Toyota or VW. That is so affordable and quality,” she added.
She said the same policies that helped Chinese manufacturers grow have also created opportunities for companies such as Zonda Tec to bring quality and affordable Chinese vehicles to markets such as Ghana.
Auto Sale and Expo
The Channel One TV and Zonda Tec Auto Sale and Expo will take place at the Dzorwulu Showroom on August 13 and August 14, 2026. About 15 banks are expected to offer vehicle financing at the event, taking advantage of recent declines in interest rates.
