-As Bilateral Trade Nears $400M
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberian exports to India more than doubled in the past financial year, rising 120 percent from US$20.39 million to US$44.91 million, according to official data released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The figures cover the 2025-2026 financial year and show that total bilateral trade between the two nations reached approximately US$390.06 million. India’s exports to Liberia during the same period stood at US$345.15 million.
The Embassy of India in Monrovia, which released the data in a press statement on June 1, 2026, described the growth in Liberian exports as a reflection of expanding opportunities for Liberian businesses and producers in the Indian market. The embassy also noted that the sharp increase highlights the strong potential for further diversification and growth in bilateral trade.
The sharp increase in Liberian exports comes under India’s Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme for Least Developed Countries. Under this scheme, Liberia enjoys zero-duty and preferential market access to more than 98 percent of India’s tariff lines. India first introduced the DFTP scheme in 2012 as part of its South-South cooperation commitments.
The latest trade figures show that Liberian exports to India rebounded sharply after dipping to US$12.46 million in the 2023-2024 financial year. The following year, exports climbed back to US$20.39 million before surging to the current US$44.91 million.
Five-Year Trade Trends
Official data from India’s trade statistics portal reveals a steady deepening of trade relations over the past five years. In the 2021-2022 financial year, total bilateral trade stood at US$268.25 million, with India exporting US$247.05 million to Liberia and Liberia exporting US$21.20 million to India.
The following year, in 2022-2023, total trade increased to US$283.96 million. India’s exports to Liberia rose to US$257.15 million, while Liberia’s exports to India increased to US$26.80 million.
In the 2023-2024 financial year, total trade dipped to US$255.75 million. India’s exports to Liberia fell to US$243.29 million, and Liberia’s exports to India dropped sharply to US$12.46 million.
Trade rebounded strongly in the 2024-2025 financial year, reaching a five-year peak of US$396.73 million. India’s exports to Liberia jumped to US$376.33 million, while Liberia’s exports to India climbed back to US$20.39 million.
In the most recent 2025-2026 financial year, total trade settled slightly at US$390.06 million. India’s exports to Liberia stood at US$345.15 million, while Liberia’s exports to India surged to US$44.91 million, marking a 120 percent increase over the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of India noted that Indian products and businesses have become an important part of Liberia’s economic landscape. Indian companies operate in multiple sectors, including mining, manufacturing, rubber, steel, cement, pharmaceuticals, retail, agriculture, and services. The embassy added that these companies contribute to employment generation and commercial activity across the country.
Indian-made vehicles, agricultural equipment, pharmaceuticals, and engineering products are widely used across Liberia. Bajaj two-wheelers and three-wheelers, TVS autos, and Hero motorcycles are among the most common vehicles on Liberian roads. A supply chain for Sonalika tractors, an Indian agricultural machinery brand, has also taken root in Monrovia to support local farmers.
India opened its resident mission in Monrovia in 2021, a turning point that has meaningfully intensified bilateral engagement. In December 2024, India and Liberia held their first-ever Foreign Office Consultations in Monrovia. The consultations were co-chaired by India’s Additional Secretary for the Ministry of External Affairs and Liberia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti.
The two sides discussed trade, investment, mining, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, education, and people-to-people exchanges during the consultations. Liberia’s Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung also visited New Delhi for the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave, an engagement that underscored the highest-level commitment to the bilateral relationship.
Health Sector and Other Cooperation
India and Liberia have expanded cooperation in the health sector through a Memorandum of Understanding on pharmacopoeia cooperation. The agreement aims to strengthen collaboration on pharmaceutical standards and regulatory practices. Under the MoU, Liberia can accept the Indian Pharmacopoeia as one of its recognized standards for medicines, a move that enhances quality assurance for pharmaceuticals manufactured in or imported into Liberia.
Liberia has also joined the International Big Cat Alliance, an India-led initiative focused on the conservation of big cats and their habitats.
The Embassy of India stated that it looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government and people of Liberia to further enhance bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of both countries.
With total bilateral trade holding above US$390 million and Liberian exports to India more than doubling in a single year, trade between the two nations appears positioned to cross the half-billion-dollar mark within the next two to three years.
