Gambia 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 2024, Gambia sold Mali about $12.5 million of goods. The biggest products were petroleum oils and oils from bituminous…, fish, dried, salted or in brine and woven fabrics of artificial filament yarn, which together make up 99% 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 fallen by about 14% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, food preparations not elsewhere specified or… is growing fastest, at about 202% a year.
In 2024, Gambia bought about $29 thousand of goods from Mali. The biggest products were tableware, kitchenware, prepared foods obtained by swelling or roasting… and motor cars and other motor vehicles, which together make up 68% of the total. The total has grown by about 232% a year since 2022.
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 Mali | Gambia buys from Mali |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $16.8m | $3k |
| 2023 | $8.8m | $19k |
| 2024 | $12.5m | $29k |
What Gambia sells to Mali
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 | $12.3m | 98.7% | -13.0% a year |
| Fish, dried, salted or in brine (smoked fish, whether or not cooked before, or during the smoking process) Product code 0305 · Fish and seafood | $54k | 0.4% | n/a |
| Woven fabrics of artificial filament yarn including woven fabrics obtained from materials of heading no. 5404 Product code 5408 · Man-made filaments | $36k | 0.3% | +110.6% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fuels and oils (99%), Fish and seafood (0%), Man-made filaments (0%), Miscellaneous food preparations (0%), Sugar (0%) .
What Gambia buys from Mali
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and hygienic or toilet articles, of plastics Product code 3924 · Plastics | $11k | 36.5% | n/a |
| Prepared foods obtained by swelling or roasting cereals or cereal products (e.g. corn flakes) (cereals (other… Product code 1904 · Cereal and baked goods | $7k | 22.3% | n/a |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles (principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of he… Product code 8703 · Vehicles | $3k | 9.5% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Plastics (36%), Cereal and baked goods (22%), Vehicles (9%), Stone and cement articles (7%), Iron and steel (6%) .
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.