The US International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new fact-finding investigation on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Program and its usage and will provide an overview of the program and industry case studies to better understand the relative competitiveness of each sector and its impact on workers, economic development, and poverty reduction.

The investigation, African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Program Usage, Trends, and Sectoral Highlights, Inv. No. 332-589, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means (Committee) in a letter received on January 19, 2022 (see copy below). The Committee noted in its letter that the current program will expire on September 30, 2025.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, fact-finding federal agency, will prepare a public report for the Committee. The report will provide, to the extent practicable:

• an overview of the AGOA program and its use, including a description of the program, an overview of U.S. imports, identification of country utilization rates, and a qualitative examination, including a literature review; and
• case studies on cotton, apparel, certain chemicals, and cocoa.

The USITC expects to submit its report to the Committee by March 17, 2023.

The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on June 9, 2022.  Information about how to participate in the hearing, including whether it will be virtual, will be posted on the Commission’s website no later than May 2, 2022, at this link.

Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on May 25, 2022 with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436.  See below for important information regarding filing a request to appear at a USITC hearing.

The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record.  Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission and should be submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on October 27, 2022. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.  See below for important information regarding the filing of written submissions for USITC investigations.

IMPORTANT:  All filings to appear at the hearing and written submissions must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or consult the Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.

Further information on the scope of the investigation is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated February, 15, 2022, which can be downloaded from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. .

About these investigations: USITC general fact-finding investigations, such as these, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general fact-finding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General fact-finding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

Source: USITC