News Search
'How the United States and Rwanda have fallen out over second-hand clothes' - BBC
US President Donald Trump's "America First" stance on global trade has hit Rwanda, by imposing tariffs on clothing exports from the tiny East African nation. The issue revolves around an obscure import, second-hand clothes, and Rwanda's refusal to back down from the fight. When did the dispute start? In March 2018, the US gave Rwanda 60 days' notice that it would be suspending the landlocked country from selling clothes to America duty free - a status it enjoys under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). Agoa is the...
'AGOA still available for Nigeria till 2025' - Nigerian-American Chamber
The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) says Nigerian exporters still have an opportunity to explore the benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) till 2025. Speaking at the 2nd Edition of the African Food and Products Exhibition and Conference themed, ‘Non-Oil Exports’ Scaling up Productivity to Meet Global Demand’ in Lagos weekend, Olabintan Famutimi, president, NACC, noted that the United States had committed a lot of resources in capacity building to ensure the success of AGOA. Checks show that AGOA...
South African car manufacturers threatened by potential US tariffs
The latest target in President Donald Trump's ongoing trade fight is imported cars and trucks. Trump said earlier this week that the US Commerce Department is investigating possible trade actions on imported vehicles, and the administration is reportedly mulling a 25% tariff, or tax on imports, for the cars. US imported almost 37,000 cars from South Africa last year - it was the second biggest importer of SA vehicles, after the UK (54,400). In 2016, South Africa exported vehicles worth $1.6 billion to the US (R23.5 billion). Ford, BMW...
Trump versus Rwanda in trade battle over used clothes
Early last year, weeks after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, a little known American trade association filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative. That seven-page letter set Africa in the cross-hairs of the new administration’s ‘America First’ trade ideology, pitting the world’s largest economy against tiny Rwanda over an unlikely U.S. export: cast-off clothes. In March, the USTR warned Rwanda it would lose some benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), America’s flagship trade...
Ghana: Textile and garments committee inaugurated
The reconstituted National Technical Committee for Textiles and Garments was on Friday inaugurated to ensure that Ghana meets the requirements for the production of textiles and garments for the local and the international markets. The committee, which has been expanded in size from 12 experts to 22, would be responsible for the development and implementation of standards for the textiles and garments industry. It is determined to consider standards for slit and kaba, Kente, smock and many other Ghana-made clothes that...
Uganda must not rely on a single partner, says US envoy
[Source: interview with US Ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac] What is the role of the private sector? We firmly believe that private sector growth is the key to sustainable economic growth. Governments should not be the sole driver of economic activity because no government will ever have enough money to do everything. The private sector plays a crucial role in economic growth and it is important that it takes the lead in all areas of economic activity. What was the role of US in recent oil and gas...