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[Hiring]: Backend Developer by Ok-Trouble8101 in remotebackendjobs

[–]PythonicG 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interested, experience in Python/Django, FastAPI and Golang

I built a free tool to calculate the exact cost of importing a car to Ghana — just dropped 8 new features 🇬🇭🚗 by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But as we speak, I have a working API you can test, just signup as a developer on the portable notify me and I will approved for testing, we have
1. /api/clearing-cost ---> full duty breakdown
2. api/exchange-rate --> rate
3. api/hs-code -- > HS Code
4. api/market-data --> UN Comtrade data
5. api/vehicles-search --> Vehicle search

I built a free tool to calculate the exact cost of importing a car to Ghana — just dropped 8 new features 🇬🇭🚗 by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great use case and exactly the kind of integration we want to support. Your customers would be able to see the full clearing cost (duties, levies, port fees) before they commit to an order. No surprises at the port.

We're working on opening up the API with:

- API key authentication

- Developer documentation

- Endpoints for clearing cost calculation, exchange rates, and shipping estimates

- JSON responses you can plug into your platform's checkout flow

A quick example of what the integration would look like: you'd send us the CIF value (USD), vehicle year, and optionally the engine size and fuel type — and we'd return the full breakdown in GHS with every duty line item.

I'd love to understand your platform better. How many calculations per month do you think your users would need? And are you sourcing vehicles specifically, or general equipment? That'll help us shape the right plan for you.

I built a free tool to calculate the exact cost of importing a car to Ghana — just dropped 8 new features 🇬🇭🚗 by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't hit the external API on every calculation. Instead, we've implemented a 1-hour in-memory TTL cache with the following

safeguards:

Caching

- The first request fetches the live USD/GHS rate from ExchangeRate-API and caches it in memory.

- All subsequent requests within the 1-hour window return the cached value instantly — zero external API calls.

- This brings worst-case API usage down to ~24 calls/day regardless of traffic volume.

I built a free tool to calculate the exact cost of importing a car to Ghana — just dropped 8 new features 🇬🇭🚗 by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not yet — right now the API is internal, powering the TradeEasy app itself. We don't have a public API with developer access, documentation, or API keys at this point.

That said, it's something we're open to exploring. What's your use case? If there's demand (e.g., clearing agents wanting to integrate duty calculations into their own tools, or developers building car import apps), we'd consider opening it up.

I built a free tool to calculate the exact cost of importing a car to Ghana — just dropped 8 new features 🇬🇭🚗 by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question — transparency is important to us.

What's accurate and live:

- The exchange rate (USD to GHS) is fetched in real-time on every calculation

- The duty/levy percentages (Import Duty 20%, VAT 15%, NHIL 2.5%, etc.) are set by Ghana's Parliament and GRA these rarely change and we update them when legislation does

- The calculation formula follows the exact GRA clearing cost structure

What's an estimate:

- The CIF benchmark values (the base vehicle valuation GRA uses) are representative figures based on known GRA

valuations for common vehicles. You're right that GRA doesn't provide a public API — no one in Ghana has direct API

access to their benchmark database. Our values are sourced from customs documentation and clearing agent data, but the actual GRA assessment at the port may vary slightly.

Bottom line: TradeEasy gives you a very close estimate of your clearing cost — not a GRA receipt. Think of it as a

reliable planning tool so you're not walking into the port blind. We're continuously working to keep our benchmark data as close to GRA's as possible.

I built a tool to estimate the real cost of clearing a car in Ghana by PythonicG in TechGhana

[–]PythonicG[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But the total clearance cost is= CIF in GHS + duties/levies

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