20 African countries with the highest import tariffs

Business Insider Africa presents 20 African countries with the highest import tariffs.
This list is courtesy of available data obtained from The World Bank.
Import tariffs are taxation imposed by governments on imported products.

Virtually every African country has some form of trade control put in place to protect their local industries/markets. These controls could range from local content requirements to quotas on imports & exports, subsidies and of course import tariffs. Of all these trade barrier mechanisms, import tariffs appear to be the most widely used. And according to Investopedia, less developed and developing countries of the world (many of which are in Africa) tend to have some of the highest import tariff rates in the world.

What are import tariffs?

The International Trade Administration defines import tariffs as the taxation imposed by governments on imported products. Different countries impose different kinds of tariffs on different kinds of products. Import tariffs also typically cover the freight and the insurance of imported products.

Tariffs ultimately contribute to the costs final consumers have to incur to purchase imported products. And that's because importers always try to to recoup the costs associated with import tariffs by pushing prices higher.

There are two main forms of import tariffs:

An Ad Valorem Tariff: This involves calculating customs duty as a percentage of the value of the product.
A Non Ad Valorem Tariffs: A tariff that is not expressed as a percentage of the price or value.

20 African countries with the highest import tariffs rates

Having explained all these, let us now focus on the 20 African countries with the highest import tariffs. Please note that this list is based on available data obtained from the World Bank. These figures were last reported in 2020.