US Plans AGOA Suspension for South Africa and Rwanda

The United States intends to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free access to its market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, with the move set to take effect January 1, 2027, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said. The announcement followed an annual review of the program’s eligibility requirements. Greer said President Donald Trump had determined that both governments were engaging in practices inconsistent with those criteria. AGOA provides eligible African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for thousands of products and is reviewed annually. The planned suspensions would end the two countries’ preferential access under the program, but do not bar their goods from entering the United States under standard tariff rules. U.S. officials have cited different concerns about the two countries. For Rwanda, Washington has raised issues involving trade barriers, human rights, political pluralism, the rule of law and workers’ rights. The administration has also cited national security and foreign policy concerns in the region. The specific evidence and policy changes Washington would require for eligibility to continue or be restored were not...