US Africa envoy sees positive progress on extension of AGOA
US President Donald Trump’s Africa envoy signaled progress toward the renewal of a program allowing African nations duty-free access to the world’s largest economy.
“We understand that it’s moving positively in the right direction,” Massad Boulos, US senior adviser for Africa told Bloomberg News in an interview, noting Congress has been given until the end of the year to make a decision.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act, which expired on Sept. 30 has been key to boosting trade relations between sub-Saharan Africa and the US since its inception in 2000. It granted tariff-free access to more than 1 800 products from 32 countries and can only be renewed by an act of Congress, which last happened in 2015.
Its lapse coincided with Trump’s harsh trade regime, which saw him slap levies on US trading partners in August. The International Trade Center calculates average duties on AGOA beneficiaries could raise to 13.9%.
The signs are that an extension would be short and cover all members that are party to or eligible for AGOA, Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter, South Africa’s deputy director general for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s trade branch, said earlier this month.
“The short extension will be a basis for the sub-Saharan African countries and the US to identify improvements,” Mlumbi-Peter said.
Two-way trade between the US and countries that qualify for market access under AGOA exceeded $47-billion in 2023, with US exports at $18.2-billion compared with US imports of $29.3-billion.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Showroom
ESAB South Arica, the leading supplier of high-end welding and cutting products to the Southern African industrial market is based in...
VISIT SHOWROOM
AirNox (Pty) Ltd is a level 1 BBBEE manufacturer of complete AdBlue® solutions for operators of SCR diesel engines and AUS40 across South Africa...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
