A U.S. House committee on Wednesday approved a bill to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for another three years, with no immediate mention of excluding South Africa despite earlier warnings from the U.S. trade envoy, Reuters reported.
AGOA, first enacted in 2000, allows eligible Sub-Saharan countries to export certain products to the U.S. duty-free, supporting hundreds of thousands of African jobs.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had said on Tuesday that the Trump administration was open to a one-year extension but might exclude South Africa, which he described as a “unique problem.”
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The House Committee on Ways and Means approved the AGOA Extension Act by a vote of 37-3, calling the initiative “the cornerstone of economic relations between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan African nations.”
The statement added, “An extended lapse in AGOA would create a void that malign actors like China and Russia will seek to fill.” The bill will now move to the full House, though a schedule for consideration has not been set.
South Africa’s trade ministry is actively working to remain included in any extension, despite strained relations with the U.S. during Trump’s second term.
Trump criticized South Africa for its racial inequality policies, and Greer said the country must reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers on U.S. products to lift the 30% duties imposed on South African goods in August.
A ministry spokesperson said the U.S. tariffs were based on “an inaccurate view of the two countries’ trade” and that South Africa is closely tracking the progress of the AGOA Extension Act.
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Image Credit: Britannica
