Cameroon and Mali
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Mali
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 2023, Cameroon sold Mali about $300 thousand of goods. The biggest products were cosmetic and toilet preparations, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… and medicaments, which together make up 99% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (cosmetic and toilet preparations), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 26% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, cosmetic and toilet preparations is growing fastest, at about 31% a year.
In 2023, Cameroon bought about $22 thousand of goods from Mali. The biggest products were medicaments, milk and cream, not concentrated and automatic data processing machines, which together make up 69% of the total. The total has grown by about 196% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, medicaments is growing fastest, at about 4,529% 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 | Cameroon sells to Mali | Cameroon buys from Mali |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $238k | $7k |
| 2023 | $300k | $22k |
What Cameroon sells to Mali
Ranked by value in 2023, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic and toilet preparations (beauty, make-up and skin care preparations (excluding medicaments, including… Product code 3304 · Cosmetics and perfumery | $268k Mali reports $25k | 89.1% | +30.5% a year |
| Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (preparations not listed elsewhere, containing by… Product code 2710 · Fuels and oils | $20k | 6.8% | n/a |
| Medicaments ((not goods of heading no. 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therape… Product code 3004 · Pharmaceuticals | $8k | 2.7% | -56.2% a year |
Biggest product groups: Cosmetics and perfumery (90%), Fuels and oils (7%), Pharmaceuticals (3%), Books and printed matter (0%) .
What Cameroon buys from Mali
Ranked by value in 2023, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicaments ((not goods of heading no. 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therape… Product code 3004 · Pharmaceuticals | $6k | 29.1% | +4,528.9% a year |
| Milk and cream (not concentrated, not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter) Product code 0401 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $4k | 20.4% | n/a |
| Automatic data processing machines and units thereof, magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing d… Product code 8471 · Machinery | $4k | 19.6% | +1,735.6% a year |
Biggest product groups: Pharmaceuticals (29%), Dairy, eggs and honey (20%), Machinery (20%), Electrical equipment (18%), Railway equipment (8%) .
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.
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.