More than 100 million people in the landlocked nations of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and the northern states of Nigeria are served by Benin, which acts as a delivery corridor for West Africa. Trucks transport goods from Cotonou to the border towns of Malanville in Benin and Gaya in Niger, then the rest of the Sahel. Benin's most important crossroads are Parakou, where goods going west to Togo, Ghana, and Burkina Faso pass through and Nigerian goods go through before going to various border crossings. Benin receives a significant amount of its agricultural imports through the coastal road border crossing with Nigeria.

The traditional trade ties that Benin has had with the European Union, particularly with France and Belgium, are still very strong. Foods from China can be found in supermarkets and open-air markets. Nigeria, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates are Benin's primary commercial partners.