Intra‑regional food imports (left) and exports (right) by country, 2014‑22 average
Note: The data labels correspond to the share of the total value for regional imports (left) and regional exports (right).
The intra-regional food trade landscape in West Africa is marked by sharp asymmetries, with Nigeria standing out as the dominant player. Official trade statistics, however, paint a misleading picture. Based only on recorded flows, Nigeria appears relatively minor, ranking just 8th as an importer and 6th as an exporter of regional food trade. Once unrecorded flows are included, Nigeria leaps to first place on both sides of the trade ledger, underscoring how incomplete data masks the country’s true centrality.
Between 2014 and 2022, Nigeria’s average annual food imports—recorded and unrecorded—reached USD 1.35 billion, representing 61% of the region’s total recorded imports. This figure alone surpasses the combined imports of all other ECOWAS countries, a scale that reflects both Nigeria’s population size and economic weight. On the export side, Nigeria accounts for 34% of intra-regional food trade, positioning it ahead of Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, each at 24%. This dual role—simultaneously the largest buyer and seller—cements Nigeria’s role as the anchor of West Africa’s food trade system.
Other countries, while much smaller in scale, play complementary roles. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are the 2nd and 3rd largest import markets, contributing 15% and 13% of total imports respectively. On the export side, Benin (24%),
Burkina Faso (12%), and Senegal (10%) illustrate how smaller economies sustain strong outward linkages, driven by fish (Senegal), livestock (Burkina Faso), and cereal exports (Benin).
Yet the gap with Nigeria is remarkable: even Nigeria’s “minor” imports, such as bananas—its 30th-ranked import product—represent half the entire food export revenues of Liberia.
Nigeria’s import profile also highlights its reliance on a narrow set of suppliers. Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali collectively provide over 80% of its regional food imports, particularly in livestock and cereals. Conversely, Nigeria’s exports are highly concentrated, with cereal flows to Niger alone accounting for nearly half of its intra-regional exports.