Gambia and Guinea-Bissau
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Guinea-Bissau
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, Gambia sold Guinea-Bissau about $7.4 million of goods. The biggest products were cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… and locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, which together make up 94% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 244% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, petroleum oils and oils from bituminous… is growing fastest, at about 493% a year.
In 2024, Gambia bought about $207 thousand of goods from Guinea-Bissau. The biggest products were beer made from malt, vermouth and other wine of fresh grapes and cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes, which together make up 93% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (beer made from malt), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 133% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, beer made from malt is growing fastest, at about 119% 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 | Gambia sells to Guinea-Bissau | Gambia buys from Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $624k | $38k |
| 2023 | $59.3m | $116k |
| 2024 | $7.4m | $207k |
What Gambia sells to Guinea-Bissau
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form Product code 1701 · Sugar | $5.2m | 70.5% | +280.5% a year |
| Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (preparations not listed elsewhere, containing by… Product code 2710 · Fuels and oils | $1.3m | 17.8% | +492.5% a year |
| Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet, sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or no… Product code 1212 · Oil seeds and grains | $382k | 5.2% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Sugar (71%), Fuels and oils (18%), Oil seeds and grains (5%), Fats and oils (4%), Vehicles (1%) .
What Gambia buys from Guinea-Bissau
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer made from malt Product code 2203 · Beverages and spirits | $170k | 82.0% | +118.6% a year |
| Vermouth and other wine of fresh grapes, flavoured with plants or aromatic substances Product code 2205 · Beverages and spirits | $14k | 7.0% | n/a |
| Cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes (of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes) Product code 2402 · Tobacco | $8k | 3.7% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Beverages and spirits (89%), Wood (4%), Tobacco (4%), Iron and steel (2%), Fats and oils (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.