The White House reportedly backed a one-year extension for a key US-Africa trade agreement that is due to expire today, though its renewal remains uncertain.
Since the African Growth and Opportunity Act was implemented in 2000, sub-Saharan African nations have exchanged goods duty-free with the US, boosting trans-Atlantic trade. But the deal has been effectively scuppered by American tariffs, while pleas by African leaders to extend AGOA have gone unanswered.
A formal end to the agreement would signal that the Trump administration is disengaging with Africa at a time when other global powers, including China and several Gulf nations, are ramping up their presence across the continent.
