Regional export playbook

Netherlands 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.

NLD12 markets2024 trade year
3-year opportunity$83.5BCalculated addressable value
Buyer markets12Markets with qualifying rows
FTA markets6Reported access indicator
Avg. distance4,917 kmAverage reported distance
Avg. entry days17Business entry indicator

Africa regional view

Should Netherlands focus here?

The answer depends on demand, product fit, access, competition, and route economics. This playbook shows where the available trade signals are strongest.

Largest market shown

Liberia

$22.2B calculated opportunity across 3 screened products.

Regional footprint

12 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.

MarketOpportunityProductsFTADistanceEntry daysTop product
LiberiaLBR$22.2B3Not reported5,319 km18Vessels: n.e.s. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons and goods
EgyptEGY$17.3B4Reported3,284 km13Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, natural gas
South AfricaZAF$14.1B5Reported9,694 km40Product not reported
NigeriaNGA$6.8B2Not reported5,110 km7Product not reported
MoroccoMAR$5.9B2Reported2,244 km9Product not reported
United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$3.9B2Not reported7,351 km30Product not reported
TunisiaTUN$3.0B2Reported1,776 km9Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: in gaseous state, natural gas
TogoTGO$2.6B1Not reported5,150 km3Product not reported
Côte d\'IvoireCIV$2.5B1Reported5,299 km6Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude
AlgeriaDZA$2.2B1Reported1,733 km18Turbines: parts of turbo-jets and turbo-propellers
EthiopiaETH$1.5B1Not reported5,711 km32Product not reported
UgandaUGA$1.5B1Not reported6,337 km24Product 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.

RankMarketProductOpportunityBuyer growthCurrent share
1LiberiaLBRHS 890190Vessels: n.e.s. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons and goods$9.9B+8.1%+0.0%
2LiberiaLBRHS 999999Commodities not specified according to kind$8.8B+12.0%+0.0%
3EgyptEGYHS 271111Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, natural gas$5.3B+75.5%+0.0%
4EgyptEGYHS 100119Cereals: wheat and meslin, durum wheat, other than seed$5.1B+22.8%+0.1%
5EgyptEGYHS 271012Product description unavailable$5.0B+22.7%+1.6%
6NigeriaNGAHS 271012Product description unavailable$4.8B+16.8%+9.5%
7South AfricaZAFHS 271012Product description unavailable$4.5B+20.9%+1.6%
8MoroccoMARHS 271019Product description unavailable$4.3B+17.9%+1.0%
9LiberiaLBRHS 271019Product description unavailable$3.5B+19.4%+0.0%
10South AfricaZAFHS 282200Cobalt oxides and hydroxides: commercial cobalt oxides$3.1B+47.8%+0.0%
11South AfricaZAFHS 271019Product description unavailable$2.8B+18.1%+6.4%
12TogoTGOHS 271019Product description unavailable$2.6B+12.3%+0.2%
13Côte d\'IvoireCIVHS 270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$2.5B+8.5%+0.0%
14South AfricaZAFHS 270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$2.2B+1.1%+0.0%
15AlgeriaDZAHS 841191Turbines: parts of turbo-jets and turbo-propellers$2.2B+24.8%+0.0%
16United Rep. of TanzaniaTZAHS 271019Product description unavailable$2.0B+18.2%+0.7%
17NigeriaNGAHS 271019Product description unavailable$2.0B+13.0%+3.6%
18EgyptEGYHS 271019Product description unavailable$1.9B+18.7%+1.1%
19United Rep. of TanzaniaTZAHS 271012Product description unavailable$1.9B+27.8%+0.0%
20MoroccoMARHS 880330Aircraft and spacecraft: parts of aeroplanes or helicopters n.e.c. in heading no. 8803$1.6B+15.0%+0.4%

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

13 screened products with $55.4B of reported buyer imports.

$38.3BCalculated opportunity · +19.1% average growth

HS2 27

HS2 sector 27

5 screened products with $13.3B of reported buyer imports.

$13.1BCalculated opportunity · +20.9% average growth

HS2 89

HS2 sector 89

1 screened products with $14.4B of reported buyer imports.

$9.9BCalculated opportunity · +8.1% average growth

HS2 99

HS2 sector 99

1 screened products with $6.3B of reported buyer imports.

$8.8BCalculated opportunity · +12.0% average growth

HS2 10

HS2 sector 10

1 screened products with $3.4B of reported buyer imports.

$5.1BCalculated opportunity · +22.8% average growth

HS2 28

HS2 sector 28

1 screened products with $1.6B of reported buyer imports.

$3.1BCalculated opportunity · +47.8% average growth

HS2 84

HS2 sector 84

1 screened products with $1.1B of reported buyer imports.

$2.2BCalculated opportunity · +24.8% average growth

HS2 88

HS2 sector 88

1 screened products with $1.4B of reported buyer imports.

$1.6BCalculated opportunity · +15.0% average growth

Frequently asked questions

Using the Africa export playbook

Practical guidance for interpreting regional market and product comparisons.

Should Netherlands 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.