Largest market shown
South Africa
$10.6B calculated opportunity across 4 screened products.
Regional export playbook
Ireland in Africa
where to look next
Compare buyer markets, access conditions, and product opportunities across Africa. Use this guide to prioritize research, not to treat calculated indicators as guaranteed sales.
3-year opportunity$54.0BCalculated addressable value
Buyer markets9Markets with qualifying rows
FTA markets5Reported access indicator
Avg. distance5,338 kmAverage reported distance
Avg. entry days21Business entry indicator
Africa regional view
Should Ireland focus here?
The answer depends on demand, product fit, access, competition, and route economics. This playbook shows where the available trade signals are strongest.
Regional footprint
9 buyer markets
Reported trade and access indicators are available for the qualifying markets shown below.
How to use the guide
Compare demand with access
Start with the strongest markets, then validate buyers, tariffs, standards, logistics, and competition at product level.
Market comparison
Which markets deserve a closer look?
Markets are ranked by calculated three-year opportunity across the qualifying products in this regional view.
| Market | Opportunity | Products | FTA | Distance | Entry days | Top product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South AfricaZAF | $10.6B | 4 | Reported | 10,002 km | 40 | Product not reported |
| NigeriaNGA | $10.4B | 3 | Not reported | 5,292 km | 7 | Product not reported |
| LiberiaLBR | $8.8B | 1 | Not reported | 5,247 km | 18 | Commodities not specified according to kind |
| EgyptEGY | $8.3B | 3 | Reported | 3,977 km | 13 | Product not reported |
| MoroccoMAR | $6.1B | 2 | Reported | 2,149 km | 9 | Product not reported |
| TunisiaTUN | $4.4B | 3 | Reported | 2,235 km | 9 | Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: in gaseous state, natural gas |
| AlgeriaDZA | $2.2B | 1 | Reported | 1,971 km | 18 | Turbines: parts of turbo-jets and turbo-propellers |
| United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA | $2.0B | 1 | Not reported | 7,943 km | 30 | Product not reported |
| BotswanaBWA | $1.2B | 1 | Not reported | 9,229 km | 48 | Product not reported |
Top regional opportunities
Products and markets to review
The rows below are screened by reported buyer demand, exporter position, and available history. Calculated opportunity is a research signal, not a forecast.
| Rank | Market | Product | Opportunity | Buyer growth | Current share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LiberiaLBR | HS 999999Commodities not specified according to kind | $8.8B | +12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2 | NigeriaNGA | HS 271012Product description unavailable | $6.3B | +16.8% | +0.5% |
| 3 | EgyptEGY | HS 271012Product description unavailable | $5.1B | +22.7% | +0.9% |
| 4 | South AfricaZAF | HS 271012Product description unavailable | $4.9B | +20.9% | +0.0% |
| 5 | MoroccoMAR | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $4.4B | +17.9% | +0.0% |
| 6 | South AfricaZAF | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $3.1B | +18.1% | +0.0% |
| 7 | AlgeriaDZA | HS 841191Turbines: parts of turbo-jets and turbo-propellers | $2.2B | +24.8% | +0.0% |
| 8 | NigeriaNGA | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $2.1B | +13.0% | +0.0% |
| 9 | United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $2.0B | +18.2% | +0.0% |
| 10 | NigeriaNGA | HS 270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude | $2.0B | +21.0% | +3.0% |
| 11 | EgyptEGY | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $2.0B | +18.7% | +0.0% |
| 12 | MoroccoMAR | HS 880330Aircraft and spacecraft: parts of aeroplanes or helicopters n.e.c. in heading no. 8803 | $1.6B | +15.0% | +0.0% |
| 13 | TunisiaTUN | HS 271121Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: in gaseous state, natural gas | $1.5B | +11.5% | +0.0% |
| 14 | TunisiaTUN | HS 271129Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: in gaseous state, other than natural gas | $1.5B | +7.7% | +0.0% |
| 15 | South AfricaZAF | HS 851712Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks | $1.5B | +6.3% | +0.0% |
| 16 | TunisiaTUN | HS 271019Product description unavailable | $1.3B | +8.3% | +0.0% |
| 17 | EgyptEGY | HS 270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude | $1.2B | +21.0% | +0.0% |
| 18 | BotswanaBWA | HS 271012Product description unavailable | $1.2B | +9.9% | +0.0% |
| 19 | South AfricaZAF | HS 870322Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1000 but not over 1500cc | $1.2B | +13.3% | +0.0% |
Sector opportunities
Which product families lead?
HS2 groups make it easier to compare broad product families before moving to individual HS6 products.
HS2 00
HS2 sector 00
10 screened products with $49.0B of reported buyer imports.
$32.5BCalculated opportunity · +16.5% average growthHS2 99
HS2 sector 99
1 screened products with $6.3B of reported buyer imports.
$8.8BCalculated opportunity · +12.0% average growthHS2 27
HS2 sector 27
4 screened products with $4.4B of reported buyer imports.
$6.3BCalculated opportunity · +15.3% average growthHS2 84
HS2 sector 84
1 screened products with $1.1B of reported buyer imports.
$2.2BCalculated opportunity · +24.8% average growthHS2 88
HS2 sector 88
1 screened products with $1.4B of reported buyer imports.
$1.6BCalculated opportunity · +15.0% average growthHS2 85
HS2 sector 85
1 screened products with $1.8B of reported buyer imports.
$1.5BCalculated opportunity · +6.3% average growthHS2 87
HS2 sector 87
1 screened products with $1.5B of reported buyer imports.
$1.2BCalculated opportunity · +13.3% average growthFrequently asked questions
Using the Africa export playbook
Practical guidance for interpreting regional market and product comparisons.
Should Ireland focus on this region?
Use the market ranking as a starting point, then check product fit, buyer requirements, route costs, tariffs, standards, and competitive conditions.
What does calculated opportunity mean?
It is a screening indicator built from demand and exporter-position signals. It is not a confirmed order, sales forecast, or guarantee of market entry.
How should exporters use this page?
Prioritize one market and product combination, then validate buyers, compliance, logistics, pricing, and continuity before making a commercial decision.
Data source
OECD trade statistics with CEPII context
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-30). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.