Trump moves to end South Africa and Rwanda's AGOA trade status from 2027
President Trump notified Congress and the governments of Rwanda and South Africa that he intends to end their eligibility for the AGOA trade preference program as of January 1, 2027, the U.S. Trade Representative said Monday.
President Trump has notified Congress and the governments of Rwanda and South Africa of his intent to terminate the two countries' participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, known as AGOA, as of January 1, 2027, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Monday.
AGOA is a U.S. trade preference program for eligible sub-Saharan African countries. The change is a notice of intent with an effective date of January 1, 2027. It does not take effect immediately, and the announcement does not describe a new tariff or a trade ban.
Greer said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative led the annual review of countries' eligibility, and that Trump found the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with the program's eligibility criteria. Greer cited trade and investment barriers and practices he said threaten U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
According to the USTR background, the administration is concerned about issues in Rwanda including rule of law, political pluralism, worker rights and human rights. For South Africa, it cited barriers to U.S. trade and investment and corruption. These are the U.S. government's stated concerns. Greer said the administration is working to ensure African partners take the steps needed to meet the criteria.
(The photo is a generic file photo of shipping containers and does not show goods from either country.)