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THE United States of America's ambassador to Namibia, Lisa Johnson has encouraged Namibian businesses to make use of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), also known as the Trade and Development Act of 2000, was approved by the United States congress in May 2000. It promotes duty-free market access to the US to assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa, and to improve economic relations between the US and the region. Speaking during the 242nd US independence celebrations on...

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is a groundbreaking achievement in African diplomacy, trade, and economic development. The potential to cover 1.2 billion people and over $4 trillion in combined consumer and business spending opens up the continent to new investors and better opportunities for its entrepreneurs. Intra-African trade is expected to skyrocket, and with it, industry and manufacturing. At the same time, the agreement introduces opportunities to re-approach existing trade relationships, like the African Growth...

Summary: This notice announces the initiation of the annual review of the eligibility of the sub-Saharan African countries to receive the benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The AGOA Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (Subcommittee) is developing recommendations for the President on AGOA country eligibility for calendar year 2019. The Subcommittee is requesting written public comments for this review and will conduct a public hearing on this matter. The Subcommittee will consider the...

The 2018 AGOA Forum —named for the African Growth and Opportunity Act passed in 2000 and extended three years ago to 2025—could be a turning point in U.S.-African commercial relations. AGOA abolished import duties on more than 1,800 products manufactured in eligible countries sub-Saharan Africa (those with established or making continuous progress with market-based economy, rule of law and pluralism, elimination of trade and investment barriers to the U.S., human rights, labor standards, fight against corruption, and economic...

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and a delegation from the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) announced over $1 billion in private-sector deals during their mission to four sub-Saharan nations. PAC-DBIA members expect to quickly conclude more than $2 billion in additional deals in the coming days.   The four-nation visit, which included stops in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Côte D’Ivoire, concluded in Ghana where Secretary Ross signed a memorandum of understanding with the Minister of Finance...

Kenya's sales of macadamia nuts to the United States have soared in recent years, while textile exports have stagnated, according to new African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) data. The US imported $52 million (Sh5.2 billion) worth of macadamia nuts from Kenya last year, compared to $72,000 (in purchases of the same product in 2000, the US trade agency reported last week. The agency's Agoa assessment describes the boom in Kenya's macadamia sector as one of the “success stories” of the 18-year-old US preferential trade programme that...

This post is part of a series highlighting the four-nation President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) fact-finding mission led by the Secretary of Commerce and the Under Secretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration. For more information on the PAC-DBIA visit https://www.trade.gov/dbia/ or follow the trip on Twitter at #PACDBIA. This post originally appeared on the UPS Blog, Longitudes. As Vice Chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in...

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has said Nigeria needs to utilise the next seven years to take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Enalama, who was represented by a Principal Officer of the Ministry, Mr. Stephen Adeyemo, at an advocacy workshop organized by the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC/AGOA Trade Resource Center in Benin City, Edo State on Thursday said Nigeria must benefit from AGOA before the expiration of the Act. “We have to use the remaining period between now...

The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) says it hopes to expand Nigeria’s non-oil export to the United States through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The chamber, which stated this during its 57th annual general meeting held last Thursday in Lagos, said it would fully immerse itself in policy implementation, compliance and growth for Nigeria. Toyin Akomolafe, newly elected president of NACC, said the chamber would now establish itself as the ‘go to’ organisation on all trade related issues for AGOA. AGOA...

To ensure Rwandan exporters are not significantly affected by the anticipated suspension of duty-free access to the US market under the AGOA framework, government has decided to take over the resultant tax obligations. This follows the move by the American government on March 31st announcing their intention to suspend the application of duty-free treatment to all African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)-eligible goods in the apparel sector for Rwanda. According to a statement from the US government, the suspension would take effect in 60...

The 17th United States - Sub-Saharan Africa AGOA Forum is set to take place in Washington D.C. in the week beginning 9 July 2018. Visit the AGOA.info AGOA Forum Section for additional details, which will be made available as soon as they are available. Some of the agenda documents will be draft documents and will be updated regularly.    For background information on the AGOA Forum, read here. AGOA.info's AGOA Forum Section is at this link.  AGOA Forum downloads  are at this link. 

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is scheduled to visit Kenya at the end of next month for a bi-lateral trade summit. This will be Mr Ross’ first official visit to Africa and will see the top US trade envoy accompanied by more than 70 delegates from the US private sector, looking to broaden trade and investment ties with Kenya. Outgoing US Ambassador Robert Godec announced the trade summit yesterday, stating that US investors were keen on exploring opportunities around the Government’s ‘Big Four’ agenda. “Kenya and the US share...

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...