Mali and Nigeria
What moves each way, the scams to watch for, and what to check before you trade.
Trade safely with Nigeria
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, Mali sold Nigeria about $285 thousand of goods. The biggest products were lamps, portable, raw hides and skins of bovine and furniture and parts thereof, which together make up 82% of the total. The total has fallen by about 9.6% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, raw skins of sheep or lambs is growing fastest, at about 421% a year.
In 2024, Mali bought about $19.2 million of goods from Nigeria. The biggest products were manufactured tobacco and manufactured tobacco…, soap and plastics, plates, which together make up 65% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (manufactured tobacco and manufactured tobacco…), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has fallen by about 37% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, food preparations not elsewhere specified or… is growing fastest, at about 6,398% 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 | Mali sells to Nigeria | Mali buys from Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $348k | $48.1m |
| 2023 | $1.3m | $21.4m |
| 2024 | $285k | $19.2m |
What Mali sells to Nigeria
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps (portable, electric, designed to function by their own source of energy (e.g. dry batteries, accumulator… Product code 8513 · Electrical equipment | $103k | 36.3% | n/a |
| Raw hides and skins of bovine (including buffalo) or equine animals (fresh, salted, dried, limed, pickled, oth… Product code 4101 · Hides and leather | $94k | 33.0% | -23.3% a year |
| Furniture and parts thereof, not listed elsewhere in chapter 94 Product code 9403 · Furniture and bedding | $35k | 12.2% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Hides and leather (45%), Electrical equipment (36%), Furniture and bedding (12%), Vegetables (1%), Fruit and nuts (1%) .
What Mali buys from Nigeria
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufactured tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes not listed elsewhere (homogenised or reconstituted t… Product code 2403 · Tobacco | $9.6m | 50.2% | -24.1% a year |
| Soap (organic surface-active preparations used as soap, skin washing, in bars, cakes, moulded pieces, shapes,… Product code 3401 · Soap and cleaning products | $1.5m Nigeria reports none | 7.8% | +77.2% a year |
| Plastics (plates, sheets, film, foil and strip (not self-adhesive), non-cellular and not reinforced, laminated… Product code 3920 · Plastics | $1.4m Nigeria reports none | 7.4% | +13.0% a year |
Biggest product groups: Tobacco (50%), Soap and cleaning products (11%), Plastics (9%), Vehicles (6%), Machinery (4%) .
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.