Ghana 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 2025, Ghana sold Mali about $122.6 million of goods. The biggest products were iron or non-alloy steel, bars and rods, iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and tubes, pipes and hoses and fittings thereof, which together make up 25% of the total. The total has fallen by about 14% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, steel, alloy, bars and rods is growing fastest, at about 261% a year.
In 2025, Ghana bought about $35.8 million of goods from Mali. The biggest products were electrical and electronic waste and scrap, aluminium, waste and scrap and copper, waste and scrap, which together make up 92% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (electrical and electronic waste and scrap), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 254% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, transmission shafts is growing fastest, at about 727% 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 | Ghana sells to Mali | Ghana buys from Mali |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $189.7m | $808k |
| 2023 | $165.4m | $16.9m |
| 2024 | $193.1m | $27.2m |
| 2025 | $122.6m | $35.8m |
What Ghana sells to Mali
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron or non-alloy steel (bars and rods, not further worked than forged, hot-rolled, hot drawn or hot-extruded,… Product code 7214 · Iron and steel | $17.3m | 14.1% | -20.7% a year |
| Iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and sections Product code 7216 · Iron and steel | $6.9m | 5.6% | -10.0% a year |
| Tubes, pipes and hoses and fittings thereof (for example, joints, elbows, flanges), of plastics Product code 3917 · Plastics | $6.6m | 5.4% | +8.7% a year |
Biggest product groups: Iron and steel (40%), Plastics (16%), Cereal and baked goods (6%), Iron and steel articles (6%), Paper and board (6%) .
What Ghana buys from Mali
Ranked by value in 2025, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronic waste and scrap Product code 8549 · Electrical equipment | $25.4m | 70.9% | n/a |
| Aluminium (waste and scrap) Product code 7602 · Aluminium | $5.1m | 14.3% | n/a |
| Copper (waste and scrap) Product code 7404 · Copper | $2.5m | 6.9% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Electrical equipment (71%), Aluminium (14%), Copper (7%), Iron and steel (2%), Machinery (2%) .
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.