Food Is Not the Main Imported Item into Africa
Machinery and equipment, Chemicals, Petroleum products, Scientific instruments, and Foodstuffs are the top five imported commodities into Africa.
Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa with the largest economy, followed by South Africa and Egypt while Oil-rich countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Angola have Africa's highest GDP per capita along with Algeria, Libya and Gabon, and mineral-rich Botswana.
List of African Nations and their top imports and import partners
Sewing T Shirts in Ghana |
Algeria
Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 18.7 percent, China 9 percent, Italy 8.5 percent, Spain 6 percent, US 5.5 percent, Germany 5.3 percent, Russia 4.6 percent, Turkey 4.1 percent
Angola
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods
Imports - partners: Portugal 19.3 percent, China 14.7 percent, US 12.3 percent, Brazil 8.3 percent, South Africa 5.4 percent, France 4.3 percent
Benin
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners: China 39.8 percent, US 14 percent, Thailand 6.9 percent, France 6.9 percent, Malaysia 4.2 percent
Botswana
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
Burkina Faso
Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum
Imports - partners: Cote d'Ivoire 26.4 percent, France 18.2 percent, Togo 7.3 percent, Libya 4.2 percent
Burundi
Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 18.3 percent, Kenya 10.7 percent, Belgium 7.9 percent, France 5.8 percent, Uganda 5.1 percent, China 4.9 percent, India 4.5 percent, Germany 4.3 percent
Cameroon
Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
Imports - partners: France 21.6 percent, Nigeria 14.2 percent, China 9.2 percent, Belgium 6.2 percent
Cape Verde
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners: Portugal 39.5 percent, Netherlands 11.4 percent, Spain 6.5 percent, UK 6.3 percent, Cote d'Ivoire 4.4 percent, Brazil 4 percent
Central African Republic
Imports - commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: France 17.3 percent, Cameroon 9.8 percent, Netherlands 7.3 percent, US 6.7 percent
Chad
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: France 19.2 percent, Cameroon 16.2 percent
Comoros
Imports - commodities: rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Imports - partners: Brazil 13.5 percent, France 13.2 percent, China 10.5 percent, UAE 9.2 percent, South Africa 6.1 percent, Italy 5.3 percent, Pakistan 5.3 percent, Singapore 4.2 percent, Kenya 4.2 percent
Dem Rep of the Congo
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners: South Africa 22.1 percent, Belgium 11.5 percent, Zambia 8.3 percent, Zimbabwe 7 percent, Kenya 5.9 percent, China 5.6 percent, France 5.4 percent
Cote D’ivoire
Imports - commodities: fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Nigeria 32 percent, France 15.1 percent, China 7.8 percent
Djibouti
Imports - commodities: foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 22.1 percent, India 16.6 percent, China 9.1 percent, US 6.5 percent, Malaysia 4.5 percent, Ethiopia 4.3 percent
Egypt
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels
Imports - partners: US 11.7 percent, China 9.7 percent, Italy 6.4 percent, Germany 6.3 percent, Saudi Arabia 4.7 percent, Russia 4.3 percent
Equatorial Guinea
Imports - commodities: petroleum sector equipment, other equipment
Imports - partners: Spain 15.2 percent, US 13.4 percent, France 12.4 percent, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9 percent, China 10.4 percent, Italy 6.3 percent, UK 5.8 percent
Eritrea
Imports - commodities: machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Italy 16.9 percent, UAE 15.7 percent, China 13 percent, India 9.4 percent, US 6.7 percent, Germany 6 percent, Turkey 5 percent
Ethiopia
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners: China 19.5 percent, Saudi Arabia 17.9 percent, India 7.2 percent, US 5 percent, Italy 4.4 percent
Gabon
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports - partners: France 32.1 percent, US 11.1 percent, China 5.2 percent, Belgium 4.6 percent, Cameroon 4.4 percent, Netherlands 4.2 percent
The Gambia
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment
Imports - partners: China 22.7 percent, Senegal 11.7 percent, Cote d'Ivoire 8.4 percent, Brazil 7.4 percent, Netherlands 4.9 percent
Ghana
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: China 15.9 percent, Nigeria 15.8 percent, US 5.9 percent, France 4.7 percent, UK 4.7 percent
Guinea
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners: China 10.3 percent, France 7.8 percent, Netherlands 7.6 percent
Guinea-Bissau
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Portugal 24.6 percent, Senegal 17.3 percent, Pakistan 4.8 percent, France 4.6 percent, Cuba 4 percent
Kenya
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners: UAE 12.5 percent, China 10.5 percent, Saudi Arabia 8.7 percent, India 8.3 percent, South Africa 6.6 percent, Japan 5.6 percent, US 4.2 percent
Lesotho
Imports - commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Imports - partners: China 31.1 percent, Taiwan 23.5 percent, Hong Kong 19.4 percent, India 13.8 percent, Germany 5.2 percent
Liberia
Imports - commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: South Korea 27.5 percent, Singapore 25.2 percent, Japan 11.6 percent, China 11.2 percent
Libya
Imports - commodities: machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products
Imports - partners: Italy 18.9 percent, Germany 7.7 percent, China 7.3 percent, Tunisia 6.8 percent, France 5.7 percent, Turkey 5.4 percent, US 4.3 percent
Madagascar
Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food
Imports - partners: China 16.3 percent, France 12.1 percent, Iran 8.3 percent, South Africa 6 percent, Mauritius 4.3 percent
Malawi
Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semi manufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
Imports - partners: South Africa 35.7 percent, India 8.1 percent, China 7.2 percent, Tanzania 5.8 percent, US 4.5 percent
Mali
Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semi manufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
Imports - partners: South Africa 35.7 percent, India 8.1 percent, China 7.2 percent, Tanzania 5.8 percent, US 4.5 percent
Mauritania
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 16.3 percent, China 8.4 percent, Netherlands 6.2 percent, Spain 5.9 percent, Belgium 5.2 percent, US 4.9 percent, Brazil 4.4 percent
Mauritius
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners: India 21.2 percent, China 11.4 percent, France 10.7 percent, South Africa 7.4 percent
Morocco
Imports - commodities: crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics
Imports - partners: France 16.1 percent, Spain 13.6 percent, China 7.3 percent, Italy 6.7 percent, Saudi Arabia 6.4 percent, Germany 5.9 percent, US 4.5 percent, Netherlands 4.1 percent
Mozambique
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: South Africa 36.7 percent, Australia 8.5 percent, China 4.6 percent
Namibia
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners: South Africa 85.2 percent, US
Niger
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals
Imports - partners: France 19.4 percent, Nigeria 8.6 percent, China 8.5 percent, French Polynesia 7.6 percent, Belgium 5 percent, Cote d'Ivoire 4.9 percent
Nigeria
Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals
Imports - partners: China 10.6 percent, Netherlands 7.9 percent, US 7.8 percent, South Korea 6.6 percent, UK 5.7 percent, France 4.3 percent, Brazil 4.2 percent, Germany 4.1 percent
Rwanda
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - partners: Kenya 17.1 percent, China 6.2 percent, Uganda 6 percent, Belgium 5.9 percent, Germany 5.1 percent
Sao Tome and Principe
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Portugal 62.2 percent, US 11.6 percent, Gabon 4.5 percent
Senegal
Imports - commodities: food and beverages, capital goods, fuels
Imports - partners: France 22.2 percent, Netherlands 10 percent, China 7.4 percent, UK 6.2 percent, Thailand 5.2 percent, Belgium 4.5 percent
Seychelles
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 18.3 percent, Singapore 12.9 percent, France 10.8 percent, Spain 8.5 percent, Germany 7.4 percent, South Africa 5.7 percent
Sierra Leone
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners: China 10.5 percent, Cote d'Ivoire 8.9 percent, US 7.9 percent, Belgium 6.7 percent, UK 6.7 percent, Thailand 5.2 percent, India 4.2 percent
South Africa
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Germany 10.9 percent, China 10 percent, Spain 8.2 percent, US 7.2 percent, Japan 6.1 percent, UK 4.5 percent, Saudi Arabia 4.2 percent
Sudan
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners: China 24.9 percent, Saudi Arabia 8 percent, UAE 5.9 percent, India 5.8 percent, Egypt 5.3 percent
South Sudan – no information
Swaziland
Imports - commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners: South Africa 95.6 percent, EU 0.9 percent, Japan 0.9 percent (2006)
Tanzania
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil
Imports - partners: China 14.5 percent, South Africa 7.3 percent, Kenya 7.2 percent, India 6.3 percent, UAE 6.1 percent
Togo
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners: China 39.1 percent, Netherlands 7.9 percent, France 7.2 percent, Thailand 5.1 percent
Tunisia
Imports - commodities: textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: France 23.8 percent, Italy 21.9 percent, Germany 9.7 percent, Spain 5 percent, Libya 4.4 percent
Uganda
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Imports - partners: Kenya 31.8 percent, China 7.8 percent, UAE 7.7 percent, South Africa 5.9 percent, India 5.2 percent, Japan 4.8 percent
Zambia
Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners: South Africa 49.3 percent, China 8.2 percent, UAE 7.9 percent, India 4.4 percent
Zimbabwe
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners: South Africa 52.2 percent, China 7 percent, Botswana 4.5 percent
Port of Dar es Salaam is the principal port serving Tanzania |