The global value chain of second-hand cars and scraps: An ethnographic account of on-the-ground practices, labour and regulations in Ghana

Abstract

The article draws on ethnographic observations of second-hand car and spare-parts traders in Ghana to analyse how these goods are traded over continents and how the value of a car is shaped by grounded practices and categories that I describe. The position of Ghana in this global value chain relies on regulations forged by the alliance between politicians, traders and mechanics of the informal sector, now challenged by manufacturers who promise to contribute to the country’s industrialisation; and the availability of skilled and cheap labour. This renders viable operations impossible elsewhere. I hypothesise that as these wastes are revalued in West Africa, they sustain the production cycle and automotive industry in rich countries.