Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Sierra Leone
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 2025, Côte d'Ivoire sold Sierra Leone about $21.9 million of goods. The biggest products were electrical energy, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… and cosmetic and toilet preparations, which together make up 76% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (electrical energy), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 48% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… is growing fastest, at about 1,874% a year.
In 2025, Côte d'Ivoire bought about $836 thousand of goods from Sierra Leone. The biggest products were fish, frozen, tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless and pumps, for liquids, which together make up 91% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (fish, frozen), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has fallen by about 25% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, pumps, for liquids is growing fastest, at about 176% 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 | Côte d'Ivoire sells to Sierra Leone | Côte d'Ivoire buys from Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $6.8m | $2m |
| 2023 | $29m | $868k |
| 2024 | $31.7m | $244k |
| 2025 | $21.9m | $836k |
What Côte d'Ivoire sells to Sierra Leone
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical energy Product code 2716 · Fuels and oils | $11.2m | 51.5% | +319.1% a year |
| Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (preparations not listed elsewhere, containing by… Product code 2710 · Fuels and oils | $3.6m | 16.5% | +1,873.8% a year |
| Cosmetic and toilet preparations (beauty, make-up and skin care preparations (excluding medicaments, including… Product code 3304 · Cosmetics and perfumery | $1.7m | 8.0% | +15.5% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fuels and oils (68%), Cosmetics and perfumery (12%), Electrical equipment (4%), Sugar (3%), Paper and board (2%) .
What Côte d'Ivoire buys from Sierra Leone
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish (frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304) Product code 0303 · Fish and seafood | $738k | 88.2% | n/a |
| Tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless, of iron (other than cast iron) or steel Product code 7304 · Iron and steel articles | $14k | 1.7% | +130.5% a year |
| Pumps (for liquids, whether or not fitted with measuring device, liquid elevators) Product code 8413 · Machinery | $12k | 1.4% | +176.3% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fish and seafood (88%), Machinery (3%), Electrical equipment (2%), Iron and steel articles (2%), Pharmaceuticals (1%) .
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.