The US House of Representatives passed a short-term extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act — a move in line with the reported aims of President Donald Trump’s administration.
AGOA has provided eligible countries with preferential access to US markets since its passage in 2000. The House renewed the program through 2026 as part of a broader government funding bill. Yet wider uncertainty still surrounds South Africa’s status in the trade program, even though the extension that’s moving through Congress would apply to all eligible countries without conditions.
Despite increased travel restrictions and Trump’s broad-ranging tariffs, African nations have avoided individual levies from the US — with the notable exception of South Africa, the continent’s largest economy. One prominent Republican senator has proposed excluding South Africa from AGOA’s renewal, following a year of rising tensions between Pretoria and Washington over matters including tariffs and discredited US allegations of a white “genocide” in the African nation. The Senate is expected to vote on the AGOA extension next week.