Mali 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 2024, Mali sold Sierra Leone about $659 thousand of goods. The biggest products were electric generating sets and rotary converters, centrifuges and cotton, carded or combed, which together make up 75% of the total. The total has grown by about 252% a year since 2022.
In 2024, Mali bought about $1.3 million of goods from Sierra Leone. The biggest products were waters, including mineral and aerated waters, palm oil and its fractions and soap, which together make up 83% of the total. The total has fallen by about 22% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, palm oil and its fractions is growing fastest, at about 27% 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 Sierra Leone | Mali buys from Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $53k | $2.2m |
| 2023 | $1.5m | $1.4m |
| 2024 | $659k | $1.3m |
What Mali sells to Sierra Leone
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric generating sets and rotary converters Product code 8502 · Electrical equipment | $296k | 44.9% | n/a |
| Centrifuges, including centrifugal dryers (filtering or purifying machinery and apparatus for liquids or gases… Product code 8421 · Machinery | $112k | 16.9% | n/a |
| Cotton, carded or combed Product code 5203 · Cotton | $87k | 13.3% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Electrical equipment (45%), Machinery (31%), Cotton (13%), Tools and cutlery (8%), Vehicles (1%) .
What Mali buys from Sierra Leone
Ranked by value in 2024, by 4-digit product code. Growth is the yearly rate since 2022.
| Product | Value | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waters, including mineral and aerated waters, containing added sugar or sweetening matter, flavoured (other no… Product code 2202 · Beverages and spirits | $581k | 43.7% | n/a |
| Palm oil and its fractions (whether or not refined, but not chemically modified) Product code 1511 · Fats and oils | $418k | 31.4% | +27.1% 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 | $105k | 7.9% | -74.2% a year |
Biggest product groups: Beverages and spirits (44%), Fats and oils (35%), Soap and cleaning products (8%), Plastics (4%), Rubber (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.
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.