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The twenty imports Sierra Leone is best placed to replace.

Sierra Leone imported USD 1.6bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 83m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well and where one country supplies most of them.

USD 310mthe twenty, imported in 2024
16products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
141products Sierra Leone already exports well
35product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Sierra Leone already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Sierra Leone would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Sierra Leone does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially colouredHS 252329

    Comes fromEgypt 85%, 3 source countries
    Nearest export strengthGranite: merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of... (exports USD 166k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well54

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 30m, top 11 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 3 per cent (3); Egypt supplies 85 per cent (2).

    USD 30mdown 40% on 2022
  2. 2

    Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves...HS 721420

    Comes fromTurkey 68%, 7 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFerrous waste and scrap: n.e.c. in heading no. 7204 (exports USD 10m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well45

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 26m, top 23 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 6 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 68 per cent (2).

    USD 26mup 43% on 2022
  3. 3

    Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in heading no. 3004, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses...HS 300490

    Comes fromIndia 66%, 28 source countries
    Nearest export strengthDairy machinery
    Exports of this lineUSD 2m; 1 more line in the heading, USD 15m
    Countries that export it well32

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 58m, top 3 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 37 per cent (1); India supplies 66 per cent (2).

    USD 58mup 84% on 2022
  4. 4

    Sugars: sucrose, chemically pure, in solid form, not containing added flavouring or colouring matterHS 170199

    Comes fromMorocco 50%, 11 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSugar confectionery: chewing gum, whether or not sugar-coated, not... (exports USD 374k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 1k
    Countries that export it well44

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 34m, top 6 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 20 per cent (2); Morocco supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 34mup 73% on 2022
  5. 5

    Iron or steel: structures and parts thereof, n.e.c. in heading 7308HS 730890

    Comes fromChina 88%, 17 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIron or steel: stranded wire, ropes and cables, not electrically... (exports USD 2m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 447k
    Countries that export it well33

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 29m, top 14 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 29 per cent (1); China supplies 88 per cent (2).

    USD 29mup 108% on 2022
  6. 6

    Food preparations: of flour, meal, starch, malt extract or milk products, for uses n.e.c. in heading no. 1901HS 190190

    Comes fromMalaysia 56%, 16 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 24m, top 29 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 23 per cent (2); Malaysia supplies 56 per cent (1).

    USD 24mup 129% on 2022
  7. 7

    Vessels: n.e.c. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons...HS 890190

    Comes fromChina 90%, 2 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMotorboats: (other than outboard motorboats), for pleasure or... (exports USD 847k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well19

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 17m, top 43 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 34 per cent (1); China supplies 90 per cent (2).

    USD 17mdown 45% on 2022
  8. 8

    Fish preparations: sardines, sardinella and brisling or sprats, prepared or preserved, whole or in pieces (but not...HS 160413

    Comes fromMorocco 70%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMollusc preparations: snails, other than sea snails, prepared or... (exports USD 11k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 8k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 13m
    Countries that export it well19

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 89 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 14 per cent (2); Morocco supplies 70 per cent (2).

    USD 12mup 1% on 2022
  9. 9

    Insulated electric conductors: for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts, not fitted with connectorsHS 854449

    Comes fromChina 73%, 16 source countries
    Nearest export strengthReception apparatus for television, whether or not incorporating... (exports USD 4m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 47k
    Countries that export it well35

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 14m, top 63 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 29 per cent (1); China supplies 73 per cent (2).

    USD 14mup 44% on 2022
  10. 10

    Sauces and preparations therefor: mixed condiments and mixed seasoningsHS 210390

    Comes fromBelgium 39%, 18 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 4k
    Countries that export it well45

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 14m, top 66 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 11 per cent (2).

    USD 14mdown 38% on 2022
  11. 11

    Machines, for sorting, screening, separating, washing, crushing etc mineral substances, for agglomerating, shaping or...HS 847490

    Comes fromChina 41%, 19 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMachines: for cleaning, sorting or grading eggs, fruit or other... (exports USD 881k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 158k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 13m
    Countries that export it well25

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 74 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 43 per cent (1); China supplies 41 per cent (1).

    USD 13mup 59% on 2022
  12. 12

    Machinery: parts of machines handling earth, minerals or ores and n.e.c. in heading no. 8431HS 843149

    Comes fromUnited Kingdom 47%, 20 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMachines: for cleaning, sorting or grading eggs, fruit or other... (exports USD 881k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 281k
    Countries that export it well26

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 77 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 46 per cent (1); United Kingdom supplies 47 per cent (1).

    USD 12mup 40% on 2022
  13. 13

    Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10HS 210690

    Comes fromChina 30%, 24 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFerrous waste and scrap: n.e.c. in heading no. 7204
    Exports of this lineUSD 402k
    Countries that export it well51

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 80 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 17 per cent (2).

    USD 12mdown 11% on 2022
  14. 14

    Clothing: worn, and other worn articlesHS 630900

    Comes fromPoland 25%, 30 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSails: for boats, sailboards or landcraft (exports USD 712k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 4k
    Countries that export it well29

    Score 1 of 8: import bill USD 16m, top 54 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Sierra Leone's export strengths in the top 40 per cent (1).

    USD 16mup 41% on 2022

One line per customs heading. Products Sierra Leone already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Machines: for crushing or grinding earth, stone, ores or other mineral... imports USD 21m, exports USD 329k, top source China 95%
How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 35 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-02. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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