Senegal 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, Senegal sold Sierra Leone about $6.0 million of goods. The biggest products were portland cement, aluminous cement, sauces and preparations therefor and prepared or preserved fish, which together make up 44% of the total. The total has fallen by about 22% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, margarine is growing fastest, at about 178% a year.
In 2025, Senegal bought about $4.6 million of goods from Sierra Leone. The biggest products were palm oil and its fractions, industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids and paper and paperboard, coated one or both sides…, which together make up 81% of the total. More than half of this trade is one product (palm oil and its fractions), so it leans heavily on that one line. The total has fallen by about 33% a year since 2022. Among the leading products, machinery for sorting, screening, separating is growing fastest, at about 137% 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 | Senegal sells to Sierra Leone | Senegal buys from Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $12.6m | $15.7m |
| 2023 | $9.7m | $4.8m |
| 2024 | $5.4m | $4.8m |
| 2025 | $6m | $4.6m |
What Senegal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland cement, aluminous cement (ciment fondu), slag cement, supersulphate cement and similar hydraulic ceme… Product code 2523 · Salt, stone and cement | $1.5m | 24.3% | n/a |
| Sauces and preparations therefor (mixed condiments and mixed seasonings, mustard flour and meal and prepared m… Product code 2103 · Miscellaneous food preparations | $687k | 11.5% | +27.7% a year |
| Prepared or preserved fish (caviar and caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs) Product code 1604 · Meat and fish preparations | $483k | 8.1% | +17.4% a year |
Biggest product groups: Salt, stone and cement (26%), Miscellaneous food preparations (12%), Meat and fish preparations (8%), Fertilisers (7%), Machinery (7%) .
What Senegal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm oil and its fractions (whether or not refined, but not chemically modified) Product code 1511 · Fats and oils | $2.7m | 58.6% | -37.8% a year |
| Industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids (acid oils from refining, industrial fatty alcohols) Product code 3823 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $797k | 17.2% | -7.0% a year |
| Paper and paperboard, coated one or both sides with kaolin (china clay) or inorganic substances, with binder o… Product code 4810 · Paper and board | $243k | 5.3% | +51.2% a year |
Biggest product groups: Fats and oils (59%), Miscellaneous chemicals (17%), Paper and board (6%), Aircraft (5%), Machinery (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.