The News
US President Donald Trump plans to remove South Africa and Rwanda from African Growth and Opportunity Act eligibility next year, stripping both countries of duty-free access to the US market under Washington’s flagship Africa trade program.
Trump formally notified Congress and both governments of his decision, the Office of the US Trade Representative said Monday, after an annual review determined Pretoria and Kigali have been engaging in “concerning and pervasive” practices inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria. These include “barriers that undermine American trade and investment” and practices that “pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy interests in the region,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.
The statement also cited corruption in South Africa, while its concerns about Rwanda extended to the rule of law, political pluralism, and human rights. The decision follows months of US tension with both governments. Washington has clashed with Pretoria over Trump’s claims of a “genocide” against white South Africans, which experts have dismissed, and is ending PEPFAR aid to the country. South Africa hoped to use its critical mineral resources as leverage in trade talks.
South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said the “decision does not define the broader relationship” between the countries and that South Africa would continue pursuing trade, investment and shared economic opportunities with the US.
