US moves to boost AGOA in West Africa
The U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID)’s West Africa Trade and Investment Hub, on Friday said that it recently trained coordinators in West Africa to boost business and trade with the U.S.
The U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria said in a statement that the coordinators were drawn from the Republics of Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal. According to it, the Coordinators are to assist businesses with the processes and documentations required for exporting to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).
The statement said that the coordinators of AGOA Trade Resource Centres (ATRCs) were trained on how to deliver services in trade intelligence, export development, business promotion and trade facilitation to exporters. It said that the coordinators were also exposed to best practices across the West African region, as well as shared experiences aimed at supporting exporters.
The statement said that ATRCs had so far assisted over 2,700 businesses seeking to export to the U.S. under AGOA, with waivers for duties and quotas on Sub-Saharan Africa goods.
“Since 2005, USAID has provided grants to build the sustainability of the ATRC network and the host institutions that provide trade-related services to private sector companies. “The grants cover training and the costs of building a database of exporters, further enabling ATRCs to develop exporters’ capacity, market linkages, and sector-specific strategies to boost trade.
“USAID supports greater use of AGOA’s tariff advantages across West Africa. Each ATRC is to undertake activities that enhance the export potential of companies seeking to take advantage of AGOA.
“This support builds a sustainable network of local institutions that can tailor services to the private sector, to enhance their capacity to trade regionally and export to international markets.,’’ it added.
Read related news articles
Kenya shows Nigeria’s missed textile, apparel export opportunities with AGOA
Duty- and quota-free access to the United States of America’s market granted by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has played a significant role in boosting trade and investment between sub-Saharan Africa and the US. Many qualifying African countries have achieved notable successes in exporting goods under Agoa to the US. These successes include textiles and apparel from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Lesotho, Ghana, and...
03 April 2024
'Nigeria missing as Kenya, Ghana tap AGOA opportunities to boost foreign exchange earnings'
Africa’s biggest economy is still failing to tap the opportunities that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) present to boost its foreign exchange, amid acute dollar shortages. The AGOA has been on for over twenty-three years as it was enacted in 2020. In 2015, the program was modernised and extended to 2025, implying that there are only about 15 months before the window closes. Some countries have taken advantage of the AGOA more...
05 February 2024
US treasury Deputy Secretary Adeyemo visits Lagos, discusses duty-free access to the US market with local entrepreneurs
Nigerian-born United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo, will be in Lagos, Nigeria between September 17 – 19, 2023, for a number of diplomatic engagements including a meeting with entrepreneurs and start-ups to discuss how they can sell their products by exploring “duty-free access” to the US market. Duty-free access is the permission given by a host country for another country to export goods into their country...
18 September 2023
Nigeria: US to 'create jobs for Africans through trade, investments in tech, infrastructure'
The United States government has expressed its willingness to create jobs through increased trade and investment in sectors such as agriculture, technology and infrastructure, as well as boost innovation and elevate the living standards of millions of Africans. The U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens, disclosed this at the Africa Social Impact Summit 2023, themed: “Global Vision, Local Action: Repositioning the African...
10 August 2023
AGOA: Nigeria’s untapped opportunity for non-oil export, rights enforcement
IN 2000, President Bill Clinton’s administration passed special trade laws to promote trade ties between the US, Africa, and the Caribbean. One of the enactments was the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA. To be eligible to access the benefits of the Act, participating countries are required to meet certain criteria set by the US government. Among the long list of requirements is the adherence to international human rights...
23 May 2023
Take advantage of AGOA to boost exports, Minister urges Nigerians
The Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Adeniyi Adebayo has urged Nigerians to take advantage of the African Growth Opportunity Act, (AGOA). Adebayo said this when he received the report of the Technical Committee on the utilization of AGOA in Abuja on Tuesday. The report which was delivered by the Co-chairman of the Committee and Director of Trade, FMITI Suleiman Audu on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee and...
02 May 2023
Nigeria: Garment factory to create 2,000 direct jobs, utilize AGOA
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, at the weekend, said the state’s garment factory will be inaugurated this year with a take off capacity to hire 2,000 direct labour. Speaking with dozens of APC youths, progressive social media influencers, and some online news publishers on Saturday, the governor said the idea is to make Kwara a hub for garment production, which can then benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act...
26 August 2022
Nigeria: US-American chamber seeks shippers’ nod to boost non-oil exports
The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has sought partnership with Nigerian shippers to maximally utilise the United States’ African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA is a key component of US/African strategy that focuses on increasing African non-oil exports to the US. The Executive Secretary of the Abuja chapter of NACC, Ayo Salaam, disclosed that Nigerian companies had not taken advantage of AGOA because they exported...
12 June 2022
Nigerian shippers urged to take advantage of second chance of AGOA
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian – American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Mr. Ayo Salam has urged Nigerian exporters, in particular, shippers to take advantage of the second window of opportunities by African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which lapses in September 2025 to advance trade and export with the United States of America. This is as he promised to assist Nigerian exporters and shoppers leverage on the 6500 export items...
09 June 2022
Nigeria, US to leverage AGOA for improved trade ties
The United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, has disclosed that Nigeria will continue to be eligible for preferential trade access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Leonard, during a visit to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, said Nigeria became eligible after a review of the criteria set by the US Congress under AGOA. According to her, the...
01 June 2022
AGOA to stimulate Nigeria’s economic growth – NEPC
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has called on exporters to take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to stimulate the country’s economic growth. NEPC Executive Director and Chief Executive Director, Dr Ezra Yakusak, said this at a sensitisation workshop on eligibility criteria and documentation for AGOA organised by the Council in Owerri on Monday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the AGOA is...
07 February 2022