Burkina Faso and Nigeria
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Nigeria
The scams, documents and rules that matter on this corridor. Written and reviewed by our team, and dated.
Corridor-specific scam patterns and rules are still being reviewed by our team and will appear here once published.
- Confirm the company exists in an official register and that its name matches the one on the invoice.
- Before paying into a new or changed bank account, phone the company on a number you already hold, not one from the invoice or email.
- Test the container number, ship number, ports and dates on the bill of lading with the Document checker.
- Be wary of paying in advance for goods you have not seen, or of fees demanded to release a shipment.
- Ask the carrier directly to confirm the shipment exists and where it is.
In 2024, Burkina Faso sold Nigeria about $3.5 million of goods. The biggest products were photographic, instruments and appliances used in medical and reagents, which together make up 93% of the total. The total has grown by about 214% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, instruments and appliances used in medical is growing fastest, at about 8,354% a year.
In 2024, Burkina Faso bought about $31.4 million of goods from Nigeria. The biggest products were petroleum oils and oils from bituminous…, cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes and cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, which together make up 82% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (petroleum oils and oils from bituminous…), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 18% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… is growing fastest, at about 2,603% a year.
Trade by year
Total trade each year, as reported in the tables below. A missing bar means no report for that year, not zero trade.
View as a table
| Year | Burkina Faso sells to Nigeria | Burkina Faso buys from Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $360k | $22.6m |
| 2023 | $71k | $10.2m |
| 2024 | $3.5m | $31.4m |
What Burkina Faso sells to Nigeria
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photographic (including cinematographic) laboratory apparatus and equipment, not listed elsewhere in chapter 9… Product code 9010 · Optical and medical instruments | $1.5m Nigeria reports none | 43.8% | n/a |
| Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences, including scintigraphic a… Product code 9018 · Optical and medical instruments | $1.5m Nigeria reports $3k | 42.5% | +8,354.2% a year |
| Reagents (diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents whether o… Product code 3822 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $227k | 6.4% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Optical and medical instruments (91%), Miscellaneous chemicals (6%), Electrical equipment (1%), Iron and steel articles (1%), Vehicles (0%) .
What Burkina Faso buys from Nigeria
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (preparations not listed elsewhere, containing by… Product code 2710 · Fuels and oils | $19.7m Nigeria reports none | 62.8% | +2,603.4% a year |
| Cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes (of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes) Product code 2402 · Tobacco | $3.2m | 10.2% | +16.1% a year |
| Cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres (box files, letter… Product code 4819 · Paper and board | $2.9m | 9.3% | +22.7% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fuels and oils (63%), Tobacco (10%), Paper and board (9%), Glass (3%), Footwear (3%) .
Where the opportunities are
Products that are moving on this corridor. Only products of a meaningful size are listed. Treat these as leads to check, not promises: a fast rise can reverse.
Room to grow
Products that a market buys a lot of, where this corridor supplies only a small part. Shares are for the latest year both sides reported. A small share can also mean a hard market, so check the rules and the buyer first.
A free account shows the complete product lists, every fast-growing and new product, and the markets where this corridor supplies little. Accounts are checked by hand, so use your business email.
Create a free account Sign inHow to read these figures
Value is what was traded in the year, in US dollars. A big number means a big market, not necessarily an easy one to enter.
Share is that product's part of the total in the table above. A product with a large share is what this corridor already trades most of.
Growth is the average yearly change since the first year shown. A green figure means trade in that product is rising.
Product code is the international customs code (HS) for the product group. Your customs agent and the guide below will ask for it, and it decides the duty you pay.
These are totals reported by customs authorities, not prices or orders. Use them to see where demand exists, then check the rules and the company you plan to deal with.
Next steps
Trade figures are what each country reported to the UN (Comtrade), in US dollars. Imports are usually reported including freight and insurance, exports without, so the two sides of a corridor will not match exactly. Company counts are companies listed on ExporterIQ.