Wednesday, November 4, 2026 - The United States government has announced plans to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from its flagship duty-free trade programme for African countries, effective January 1, 2027.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed on Monday
that President Donald Trump intends to "terminate" the two
countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference
program starting in January 2027.
In a statement, Greer said "President Trump found that
the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are
inconsistent with AGOA's eligibility criteria."
Greer said these practices 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."
According to Reuters, the AGOA program has been the
centerpiece of US economic engagement with Africa since it was enacted in 2000,
offering duty-free access to the US consumer market for thousands of products
from eligible countries.
The Trump administration has taken a series of measures
against South Africa, accusing its government of persecuting white South
Africans, an allegation Pretoria rejects.
South Africa has been the largest beneficiary of the US
program, exporting about $1.7 billion worth of goods to the US under AGOA in
2025. Its main exports include car parts, citrus fruit, and wine, while
Rwanda's include coffee and minerals.
South Africa's trade ministry late on Monday said it would
support sectors affected by the decision and continue pursuing trade,
investment and shared economic opportunities with the United States.
"AGOA remains important to South Africa, but it does
not constitute the totality of the economic relationship between South Africa
and the United States," it said in a statement.
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