Import rules · updated 10 October 2026
Importing Brazilian sugar into The Gambia: duty, permits and documents.
The Gambia took 160,119 tonnes of Brazil’s white sugar in 2025, much of it re-exported to neighbouring countries through Banjul. Sugar is a named essential commodity, so importing it needs a licence from the Minister of Trade under the Essential Commodities Act 2015, and food businesses must register with the Food Safety and Quality Authority. The customs duty is 20% (latest line data 2023), and border levies add about 3.2% of CIF. Sugar is exempt from VAT: the Gambia Revenue Authority lists it among exempt basic foods.
Brazil’s sugar trade with The Gambia
Brazil exported 160,119 tonnes of white sugar (NCM 1701.99) to The Gambia in 2025, worth 73.0 million US dollars FOB. The WTO’s 2025 review names sugar among the goods re-exported from Banjul to Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Liberia. Banjul handles over 80% of the country’s merchandise trade.
Importing into The Gambia? Send your grade, quantity and discharge port. You pay the supplier directly, never me.
Send a requirement →Licence and registration
- Under the Essential Commodities Act 2015, no one may import, distribute or retail sugar at scale without a licence from the Minister of Trade. The WTO confirmed the Act in force in December 2025.
- All food business operators must register with the Food Safety and Quality Authority.
- There is no general pre-shipment inspection programme.
Duty and taxes
| Charge | Rate | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Customs duty | 20% | WITS line data, 2023 |
| ECOWAS levy | 0.5% of CIF | WTO Trade Policy Review, Dec 2025 |
| African Union levy | 0.2% | WTO Trade Policy Review, Dec 2025 |
| Customs processing charge | 1.5% | WTO Trade Policy Review, Dec 2025 |
| National Single Window charge | 1.0% | WTO Trade Policy Review, Dec 2025 |
| VAT | Exempt (basic food); standard rate 15% | Gambia Revenue Authority VAT brochure, 2023; WTO Trade Policy Review, Dec 2025 |
What to confirm before you order
- Your essential-commodity import licence.
- Labels in English, which is mandatory (USDA, 2020). The sugar standard GAMS CODEX STAN 212/1999 applies.
Rules on this page were checked against the sources below on 10 October 2026. Duties, levies and permits change, sometimes by decree. Confirm every figure with The Gambia’s customs authority before you order. See all countries.
Know your permits and your port? That is everything I need to request a current supplier response.
Send a requirement →Sources
- ComexStat (MDIC), Brazilian exports by NCM 1701.99.00 and 1701.14.00, January–December 2025, via api-comexstat.mdic.gov.br, retrieved 29 Sep 2026
- World Bank WITS / UNCTAD TRAINS, MFN tariff for HS 170199, The Gambia, 2023
- WTO, Trade Policy Review: The Gambia, WT/TPR/S/482, 17 Dec 2025: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_docs/S482_e.pdf
- Essential Commodities Act 2015: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/gam225761.pdf
- Gambia Revenue Authority, Value Added Tax brochure, Aug 2023: https://www.gra.gm/
- USDA FAS GAIN, FAIRS Country Report: The Gambia, GA2020-0001, 11 Dec 2020: https://apps.fas.usda.gov/
Checked on 10 October 2026. Rules and web pages change; check the source before you rely on a detail.