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President Donald Trump’s strategy toward Africa will not advance United States interests on the continent. That’s the conclusion of an Africa expert who published a critique of administration policy in The Hill. With the US manifesting weakness in Africa, “geopolitical and economic competition from China, Russia, India, France, and the United Kingdom threaten America’s national interests and soft power in Africa,” wrote Landry Signé, a fellow at Brookings’ Africa Growth Initiative. Trump’s commitments to...

Two years ago, I wrote on this very column how disappointing government was in the handling of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) issue.  I remember vividly describing it as a catastrophe so dreadful to be likened to Tsunami proportions. Last week, United States (US) President Donald Trump gave a green light to the restoration of the country’s eligibility for AGOA, which in all honesty is massive relieve for the country and the only good news we have received from Hospital Hill in the past year, if not Cabinet’s entire...

The US ambassador to the Gambia, Patricia Alsup, has commended the Gambia for regaining its membership in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and for being selected for a smaller grant programme by the board of the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Ms Alsup said these milestone achievements are significant achievements that recognise just how much progress the Gambia has made since the transition to the Barrow administration. “I look forward to working with the Gambian government and the Gambian people...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday restored trade benefits to Gambia and Swaziland under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said. [See text of Proclamation here] The AGOA trade program provides sub-Saharan countries duty-free access to the United States on condition they meet certain statutory eligibility requirements, including eliminating barriers to U.S. trade and investment and making progress toward political pluralism.  Gambia lost its eligibility in 2015 due to human...

In Proclamation 9223 of December 23, 2014, President Obama determined that the Republic of The Gambia (“The Gambia”) was not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the “Trade Act”) (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)), as added by section 111(a) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (the “AGOA”). Thus, pursuant to section 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)), President Obama terminated the designation of The Gambia as a beneficiary sub-Saharan...

The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has expressed optimism that the business environment for the 2018 would be more promising compared to the outgoing year. Giving this assurance at the weekend was the National President of NACC, Olabintan Famutimi. He spoke during the annual dinner dance of the Chamber in Lagos. Earlier, the Chamber boss had reassured Nigeria would not miss out again on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a legislation he said would enhance market access to the United States for qualifying...

Kenyan exporter The Fresh Approach is hopeful that the commencement of direct flights between Nairobi and the US city of Atlanta will lead to a major boost in exports to the market over the coming years. “The US has not really been tapped by African fresh produce companies,” says business development director Catherine Muya. “So there is great potential for numerous products, including baby carrots and runner beans.” The opportunity has come about through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides assistance and...

The Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute said the foreign currency generated from the textile sector has been steadily growing. Institute Communication Directorate director Bantihun Gessesse told The Ethiopian Heraldthat textile products have entered into Germany, Italy, China and United States through AGOA. In addition, Sudan and Kenya have become market destiny and over the last three months the nation has earned $31.2 million from textile and garment export. The burgeoning of the textile industries triggers the...

This essay assesses and evaluates the extent to which the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) increased imports from AGOA eligible countries to the United States from 2001 to 2015. The essay then examines how African countries can make the most of the preferences granted under AGOA, arguing that AGOA national utilization strategies have proven successful. In the final part, the essay explores options for future U.S.-Africa trade relations after the AGOA expires in 2025, proposing approaches that would best support African...

The Africa Rising narrative has just received a big boost. This was after news on Tuesday about the Trade with Africa Business Summit 2018, an inaugural event that brings together global business leaders, change agents and innovators driving digital acceleration, sustainable agriculture, global trade and women empowerment on the continent of Africa. The aim of the event is to ignite a fresh dialogue that educates and showcases effective strategies for increasing trade between the US and African countries. This event also positions the...

The East African nation is ramping up sourcing capabilities, positioning the region (includes neighboring Kenya) as an up-and-coming hub for footwear manufacturing. Low-cost labor pool? Check. Abundant raw materials? Check. Low electricity costs? Check. Shorter lead times to the United States market? Check. Lower minimums? Check. Heavy investment in infrastructure and factory capabilities? Check. Duty-free pricing? Check. What’s not to like when it comes to sourcing shoes out of Ethiopia and neighboring Kenya? Making the region even...

In an era in which multilateral trade arrangements have garnered more public notoriety than ever before, the suboptimal trade and investment relationship between America and Africa, as underpinned by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), is one of the less controversial ones. AGOA could nevertheless use some adjustments or augmentations to facilitate deeper U.S.-Africa commercial relations. For instance, adjusting AGOA’s ori- gin rules could nudge the private sector on both sides of the Atlantic towards gains for U.S. and...

Ahead of Sierra Leone’s U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) strategy launch, two Trade Hub-hosted workshops for national officials focused on AGOA standards and other customs procedures. The Freetown trainings, hosted on November 15 and 16, attracted participants from Sierra Leone’s Department of Foreign Trade, the Executive Office of the Permanent Secretary, and the Department of Domestic Commerce and Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. “Sierra Leone has real competiveness in agribusiness,” said Mr. Hashim...

Seventeen years into the life of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), two key issues stand out: first, that the preference utilization rate—as indicated by the meagre increases in African exports to the United States—remains marginal; and second, that the AGOA initiative has not helped build diversified African economies. This reality in turn raises two critical issues: that Africa’s structural challenges need to be addressed; and that extensions of the AGOA in and of themselves may not be the solution for the...