weighted score 6.1 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Guinea-Bissau
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Guinea-Bissau-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
6
Child labour documented in cashew harvesting. ILAB listing for cashew nuts. Limited enforcement capacity due to state fragility.
Worker rights & FOA
6
Labour law exists on paper but enforcement is minimal. Institutional capacity severely constrained. Political instability undermines worker protections.
OHS & audit transparency
7
Occupational health and safety oversight is negligible. No meaningful audit infrastructure. International audit firms have minimal presence.
Food & product safety
6
Food safety standards are underdeveloped. Cashew processing quality varies widely. No EU-approved food establishments.
Environmental & regulatory
5
Deforestation for cashew expansion is a concern. Environmental regulation exists but enforcement is weak. EUDR exposure through cashew-linked land use change.
Governance & anti-corruption
9
TI CPI 21 — among the lowest globally. Narco-state dynamics. Multiple coups. Drug trafficking has penetrated state institutions, military, and judiciary.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU EBA provides duty-free, quota-free access. Highly favourable tariff terms as an LDC.
Non-tariff barriers
6
Weak institutional capacity creates de facto barriers through unpredictable customs, documentation requirements, and port inefficiency.
Supply chain traceability
8
Traceability infrastructure is among the weakest globally. Informal sector dominates. Documentation and certification systems are rudimentary.
Labour & Governance
Labour & Governance
- Forced labour risk
- Guinea-Bissau has documented child labour in agriculture, particularly cashew harvesting. The US Department of Labor lists cashew nuts from Guinea-Bissau as produced with child labour.
- Governance crisis
- TI CPI 2025: 21 — one of the lowest globally. Multiple coups and attempted coups since independence. Political instability creates a governance vacuum that undermines regulatory enforcement across all sectors.
- Narco-state designation
- Guinea-Bissau is widely described as a narco-state, serving as a transit point for cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe. Drug trafficking has penetrated state institutions, military, and judiciary, severely compromising governance integrity.
- Worker protections
- Labour law enforcement is minimal. Institutional capacity to monitor working conditions, enforce contracts, or protect worker rights is severely limited by state fragility and resource constraints.
Trade Access & Regulatory
Trade Access & Regulatory
- EU EBA status
- Guinea-Bissau qualifies for the EU Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme as an LDC, granting duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market for all products except arms. Tariff score of 2 reflects highly favourable terms.
- Cashew monoculture
- Cashew nuts account for approximately 90% of export earnings. This extreme concentration creates a single-commodity supply chain with minimal diversification. Quality control and traceability infrastructure are underdeveloped.
- Traceability
- Supply chain traceability is extremely weak. Informal sector dominates economic activity. Documentation, certification, and audit infrastructure are among the least developed globally.