Mauritania 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, Mauritania sold Sierra Leone about $82 thousand of goods. The biggest products were fish, frozen and tableware, kitchenware, which together make up 100% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (fish, frozen), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has fallen by about 54% a year since 2022.
In 2025, Mauritania bought about $32 thousand of goods from Sierra Leone. The biggest products were uncoated kraft paper and paperboard, tools, interchangeable, for hand tools and textile fabrics, rubberised, which together make up 99% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (uncoated kraft paper and paperboard), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has grown by about 195% 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 | Mauritania sells to Sierra Leone | Mauritania buys from Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $827k | $1k |
| 2023 | $48k | $938 |
| 2024 | $196k | not reported |
| 2025 | $82k | $32k |
What Mauritania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish (frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304) Product code 0303 · Fish and seafood | $81k | 98.6% | -52.0% a year |
| Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and hygienic or toilet articles, of plastics Product code 3924 · Plastics | $1k | 1.4% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Fish and seafood (99%), Plastics (1%) .
What Mauritania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncoated kraft paper and paperboard, in rolls or sheets, other than that of heading no. 4802 or 4803 Product code 4804 · Paper and board | $25k | 79.0% | n/a |
| Tools, interchangeable (for hand tools, whether or not power-operated, or for machine tools (pressing, stampin… Product code 8207 · Tools and cutlery | $6k | 18.5% | n/a |
| Textile fabrics, rubberised (other than those of heading no. 5902) Product code 5906 · Coated textiles | $529 | 1.7% | n/a |
Biggest product groups: Paper and board (79%), Tools and cutlery (18%), Coated textiles (2%), Vehicles (1%) .
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.