CIF means the seller pays for cost, insurance, and freight to the destination port. FOB means the seller pays to load the goods onto the ship, and from then on the buyer is on the hook. The price difference is usually small. The risk difference is not.
Under FOB, once the container is on the ship, the buyer owns it. If the ship sinks, the buyer's insurance pays. If the container is damaged at the destination port, the buyer's claim is with the shipping line. If customs holds the container, the buyer pays demurrage. FOB puts you in control and in charge of every surprise.
Under CIF, the seller arranges insurance and freight. If something goes wrong on the ocean leg, the seller is on the hook. But "on the hook" in practice means the seller's insurance company, and insurance claims from Chinese sellers for African-bound cargo are slow and incomplete. CIF looks easier. It is not always better.
Our recommendation for first-time African importers: FOB, with a freight forwarder you trust on the destination side. The cost is similar and you control the logistics. CIF makes sense for buyers who do not yet have a forwarder relationship, or who are buying very small shipments where the seller can negotiate better freight than they can.
Whichever you pick, make sure the insurance is real. "All risks" marine cargo insurance costs about 0.3 percent of cargo value. If a seller offers CIF without naming the underwriter, walk away.