Exclusive Market Opportunities
European Union (EBA & Cotonou)
The European Union offers full preferential access through the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative. In effect since March 2001, the EBA extends duty-free and quota-free access to imports of all products (except arms) from Sierra Leone.
The Cotonou Agreement further enhances trade cooperation between EU states and African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.
United States (AGOA)
Access to the U.S. market is governed by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access for many products.
Renewed until 2025, AGOA presents considerable opportunities to boost trade between Sierra Leone and the United States.
ECOWAS Region
Sierra Leone is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
ECOWAS provides access to a regional market with a combined population of approximately 400 million people.
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
In March 2018, African countries signed the AfCFTA agreement to eliminate tariffs on 90% of goods and liberalize services trade.
Once fully implemented, it will create the world’s largest free trade area — a single African market of over 1 billion consumers and a total GDP exceeding US$3 trillion. Sierra Leone is party to this agreement.
Source: Wavteq based on SLIEPA, Vision of Humanity, World Bank Group, United Nations, UNCTAD.