Ireland 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, Ireland sold Sierra Leone about $5.6 million of goods. The biggest products were malt extract, telephone sets and odoriferous substances and mixtures, which together make up 69% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (malt extract), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 12% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, telephone sets is growing fastest, at about 1,244% a year.
In 2025, Ireland bought about $2.7 million of goods from Sierra Leone. The biggest products were aluminium, articles n.e.c. in chapter 76, electric transformers, static converters and cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, which together make up 70% of the total. The total has fallen by about 52% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, electric transformers, static converters is growing fastest, at about 1,473% 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 | Ireland sells to Sierra Leone | Ireland buys from Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $4m | $24.6m |
| 2023 | $2.5m | $48m |
| 2024 | $4.4m | $22m |
| 2025 | $5.6m | $2.7m |
What Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malt extract (flour/groats/meal/starch/malt extract products, no cocoa (or less than 40% by weight) and food p… Product code 1901 · Cereal and baked goods | $3.0m | 54.4% | +98.2% a year |
| Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular/wireless networks (other apparatus for… Product code 8517 · Electrical equipment | $457k | 8.2% | +1,243.7% a year |
| Odoriferous substances and mixtures (including alcoholic solutions) with a basis of one or more of these subst… Product code 3302 · Cosmetics and perfumery | $339k | 6.1% | -15.5% a year |
Biggest product groups: Cereal and baked goods (54%), Pharmaceuticals (10%), Electrical equipment (8%), Cosmetics and perfumery (6%), Fish and seafood (6%) .
What Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium (articles not listed elsewhere in chapter 76) Product code 7616 · Aluminium | $1.3m | 46.7% | +42.4% a year |
| Electric transformers, static converters (e.g. rectifiers) and inductors Product code 8504 · Electrical equipment | $369k | 13.4% | +1,473.1% a year |
| Cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres (box files, letter… Product code 4819 · Paper and board | $272k | 9.9% | +987.1% a year |
Biggest product groups: Aluminium (47%), Electrical equipment (22%), Paper and board (12%), Machinery (8%), Cosmetics and perfumery (5%) .
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.