WHY AFQIS LLC EXISTS

Most U.S. food companies that want to sell in West Africa face the same wall: the market is real, the demand is there, but the path in is opaque. Distributors are hard to find and harder to verify. Banking relationships are unfamiliar. Documentation is complex. And without someone physically present in Dakar, deals stall.

AFQIS LLC was built to remove that wall.

We are a New York-based sales and trade facilitation firm founded by a Senegalese professional with over a decade of senior-level experience in Senegal and across Francophone West Africa. We exist to be the bridge between American food producers and the rapidly growing West African import market — and we do it on a commission basis, so our success is directly tied to yours.

OUR FOUNDER

Mansour Niang — Founder & Managing Director
Mansour is not a consultant who read reports about West Africa. He built his career there.

▶ Wave Mobile Money — Senegal
Senior role at Senegal's leading mobile money platform — one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in Africa. Mansour managed premium agent networks across Senegal, giving him direct relationships with business operators, distributors, and entrepreneurs across the country.

▶ British Council — Francophone West Africa
Regional Project Coordinator covering Senegal and Francophone West Africa. This role required navigating government relationships, institutional partnerships, and cross-border program delivery across multiple countries — the exact competencies needed to facilitate trade in the region.

▶ NSOREX — Senegal
Manager role focused on investment facilitation and business development, working directly with companies seeking to enter or expand in Senegal's market.

▶ Rice Importation — Senegal & West Africa
Hands-on experience in rice importation across Senegal and the West African market — including sourcing, logistics coordination, and buyer-supplier relationship management. This direct commodity experience gives AFQIS LLC an edge that most trade agents simply do not have: we have moved product through this corridor before.

▶ AFQIS LLC — New York
Founded to bridge the commercial gap between U.S. food suppliers and West African importers. Based in New York, operating across the U.S.-Senegal corridor.

What sets us apart

  • We are from the market — not visiting it Most international trade agents covering Africa are based in Europe or the U.S. and rely on secondhand contacts. Mansour was born in Senegal, built his career there, and maintains active personal and professional networks in Dakar and across the region.

  • We speak the language — all three of them Business in Senegal happens in Wolof and French before it happens in English. Being able to negotiate in Wolof — the informal language of commerce in Dakar's markets — is an advantage no American export agency can offer.

  • We understand the payment infrastructure Trade finance in West Africa is different. We know how WAEMU banks issue Letters of Credit, how to work with UBA, Ecobank, and Société Générale Sénégal, and how to structure payment terms that protect both the U.S. exporter and the West African buyer.

  • We are commission-based — our incentives are aligned with yours We do not charge consulting retainers. We earn when you earn. That means we only invest our time in deals we believe in.

OUR MARKETS

Primary market: Senegal — the most stable, strategically located country in West Africa, with 1.4 million metric tons of rice imports projected for 2026/27 alone.

Extended reach: Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Gambia, Burkina Faso — all accessible via Senegal's trade networks and the WAEMU regional bloc.