The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is set to develop new standards to regulate vehicle conversion garages across the country, as authorities intensify scrutiny of unaccredited workshops operating outside the regulatory framework.

The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Kwasi Agyenim-Boateng, told Luv FM that the issue emerged following a broader review of safety concerns surrounding Toyota Voxy vehicles. He said a government-convened committee identified a large number of garages carrying out vehicle conversions without proper oversight or accreditation.

“We have the Vehicle Standardisation Committee, a committee led by the Ghana Standards Authority and made up of other stakeholders, including the DVLA and the Road Safety Authority. They have been able to develop the vehicle standard for the country. But after this Voxy issue, we have come to realise that a lot of unaccredited garages are there doing their own thing without anybody checking them,” he said.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng questioned the basis on which such garages currently conduct conversions, noting the absence of clear standards.

“Even those who do the conversion, by what standards do they measure the conversion? What yardstick do they use?” he asked.

He indicated that the Ghana Standards Authority plans to introduce dedicated standards for vehicle conversion garages to improve accountability and support traceability in the event of crashes.

“In future, there will be standards developed for those who want to convert vehicles, so that in case of a crash, it would aid us in traceability. We would be able to trace the specific garage that did the conversion on a specific vehicle,” he said.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng also clarified the legal definition of long-distance travel under Ghana’s road traffic regulations, stating that any journey exceeding 100 kilometres is classified as long-distance travel under Regulation 195 of L.I. 2180.

“Someone might even ask what long distance is? If you take a look at the Road Traffic Regulations, L.I. 2180, Regulation 195, it says that any journey exceeding 100km is classified as a long journey,” he explained.

His remarks follow a renewed public advisory issued by the NRSA on April 13, cautioning against the use of Toyota Voxy vehicles for long-distance travel in Ghana, particularly those converted from right-hand drive to left-hand drive.

The advisory followed the findings of a Technical Working Group established by the NRSA to assess safety concerns linked to both structural conversions and the operational use of such vehicles.

The NRSA has urged the public to avoid using Toyota Voxy vehicles, especially for long-distance travel, and called on operators to comply fully with safety and regulatory standards.

It is working in collaboration with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the National Insurance Commission (NIC), and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to implement the recommendations of the Technical Working Group.