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What will trade with Africa look like under a Trump presidency? African leaders are concerned that the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, will be on the chopping block under Trump and that the continent itself will not be a priority. The AGOA was enacted by Congress in 2000 and signed into law by President Clinton. It allows sub-Saharan African countries to export thousands of goods to the U.S. on a duty-free basis. The act, which has enjoyed bipartisan support, “offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue...

Question: Doesn’t it badly distort reality to call something that creates large numbers of jobs for American workers “foreign aid”? Are actions that greatly increase our export earnings “foreign aid”? Is it “foreign aid” when we help to secure for ourselves new sources of essential raw materials? Throughout the American presidential campaign, Donald Trump was largely silent on Africa. His views about the continent have been a mystery, but recent events are beginning to give a picture of where he stands in relation to the...

Amid all the confusion over Donald Trump’s presidency, there are few clues about how his administration will approach the US’s relationship with Africa. The continent was rarely mentioned in the run-up to election day, and so far, Trump’s only foray into African politics has been a pair of phone calls – one to President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and one to President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. But an examination of Trump’s rhetoric, likely priorities, and the economic realities facing Africa, paints a bleak picture for the...

Liya Kebede made her first Lemlem garment in 2007 as a way to give back to Ethiopia, where the successful model was born and raised; a crucial stop before starring in Tom Ford campaigns and walking Miuccia Prada’s runway. She found a group in Addis Ababa, her hometown and the sub-Saharan African country’s largest city, to produce garments handwoven in the traditional technique, with the gauzy white cotton she wore growing up but had since been replaced by more Western-style (and often second-hand Western) garments. “When I created...

If President Donald Trump is to “Make America Great Again” he cannot afford to ignore Africa. It is in this region of over one billion people -- the world’s second-fastest growing continent -- that the rise of China and the relative decline in U.S. power is more stark than in any other. \ China surpassed the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner in 2009. Since then Britain and France have also passed America by.  Yet as recently as 2008 America’s capacity to inspire and influence this region, both economically...

On the face of it, this multi-national system appears to be a win-win – evidence of trained African employees entering the global value chain, funded by Chinese partners and ready to take full advantage of American trading privileges. Yet not all Africans see it this way. As the first black South African to lead his country’s Reserve Bank, and a director of the $50bn New Development Bank in Shanghai, Tito Mboweni has long earned a reputation for robust and unfiltered opinions. In November, Mboweni turned his ire on the cornerstone...

President Donald Trump has been increasingly chatting with other world leaders during his first weeks in office. On Monday he turned his attention to Africa. Trump spent Monday morning calling two of the continent's most prominent leaders, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and South African President Jacob Zuma, to discuss combating terrorism, trade relations and other issues. According to Buhari's aide, Femi Adesina, Trump assured the Nigerian president that the US is ready to help obtain "a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of...

Worried by the low level of exploitation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) deal by many operators in the non-oil sector, especially in the cotton, garments and apparels market, a global expert and the Bank of Industry (BoI) have urged operators to improve their standards and skills to access the global markets. Indeed, to deepen market access and enhance global competitiveness of operators in the Cotton Textile Apparel (CTA) industry, BoI commenced an empowerment scheme for industry players to assist them in bridging the huge...

Recently, President Donald Trump successfully succeeded to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). At the back of that decision, questions have since been raised over the future of Africa Opportunity and Growth Act (AGOA) which was meant to expire in 2015, however, after intense and robust negotiations that took place in 2014 the Obama Administration decided to extend it to 2025, allowing it to continue for 10 more years. Since President Trump fulfilled a campaign pledge to withdraw from TPP, AGOA beneficiaries like South...

Among the many changes Donald Trump is bringing to American trade policy, the new president has made clear that he believes bilateral trade deals are better than regional or multilateral agreements. For America’s trade partners, including developing countries, the rise of bilateralism raises three questions. First, how will it change negotiation dynamics? Second, will it allow for the effective governance of international trade? And third, what does it say about the overall direction of the international trade system? On each count there...

The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce has expressed satisfaction with the Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, for pledging to strengthen and boost local businesses in the country. Alan Kyerematen during his vetting process mentioned the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as one of the organizations he would use to increase Ghana’s trade market and export revenue. Speaking with Citi Business News, the CEO of Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mark Badu-Aboagye said AGOA is ready to collaborate with the Trade...

Stakeholders in the exports business have upgraded their knowledge in the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement to give them a broad understanding in the trade initiative so they can take full advantage of the opportunities that abound. A GNA report said Mark Badu-Aboagye, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), noted that Ghana was yet to fully utilise the AGOA trade agreement because of limited understanding of US Customs and regulatory requirements. He noted at a seventh AGOA...

US President Donald Trump’s protectionist economic policies pose the biggest risk to Kenya’s economy in the coming year, Central Bank of Kenya governor Patrick Njoroge has said. Dr Njoroge said the Kenyan economy was facing more serious threats externally than locally, adding that the country would struggle to cover the export hole should the Trump administration roll back the African Growth Opportunities Act (Agoa) that has more recently given Kenya billions of shillings in export earnings. Mr Trump’s new immigration policy that has...

During his inauguration speech, US President Donald Trump championed his trademark policies, proclaiming, “Buy American, Hire American”. The policy is supposed to encourage Americans – through legislation, persuasion or coercion – to buy products made in the US, as well as get American firms to employ American workers. “America will start winning again. Winning like never before. We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams,” said Mr Trump at...

A one-day informational session on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which aimed to help local entrepreneurs enter the United States market with value-added products, has ended in Monrovia. The forum, which brought together over 50 entrepreneurs in agriculture and business, was organized by the Liberia Chamber of Commerce (LCC) and Building Markets in collaboration with USAID and the West African Trade and Investment Hub. Building Markets is an international NGO with the mission to build markets, create jobs and sustain peace...

Top halaal certifying bodies in the country say they have not certified poultry imported from the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) deal. The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), the South African National Halaal Authority and the National Independent Halaal Trust (Sanha)and the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT) say they have not approved any of the poultry that has entered the country as halaal. Achmat Sedick, Director of the (MJC), says halaal meat imported into the country is first certified in the exporting...

The Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the West Africa Trade and Investment Hub yesterday organized a one day sensitization workshop for executives of local companies at the Hub Hotel Wilberforce in Freetown. Sharka Kawa Export Development Officer of SLIEPA spoke about the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and it export strategy which is aimed at exporting locally made products to the American markets with less tax. He...

The Liberia Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Building Markets and the USAID/West Africa Trade and Investment Hub will host an informational session on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) at the Liberia Chamber of Commerce on January 26, 2017 from 10am to 2:45pm. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States Trade Act, enacted on 18 May 2000. AGOA has since been renewed to 2025. The legislation significantly enhances market access to the US for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries including...

Trump has talked about Europe, Asia, Central America, and the Middle East but has barely mentioned sub-Saharan Africa. In the unclassified four-page document submitted to the Department of State by the Trump Team, obtained by the New York Times, questions about aid, business, counter-terrorism operations and epidemics are being raised and hint to a change in U.S. foreign policy regarding the continent. Aid & Assistance George W. Bush quadrupled aid to Africa during his presidency and Barack Obama kept it largely the same even if he cut...

With the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, a new chapter has opened in United States-African relations. His emergence raised fundamental questions about what is likely to change in America’s role in the world; every region of the world, including Africa, has been pondering over how it will impact on them. The fear of African countries was aggravated by the silence of the then Republican candidate on Africa throughout the campaign. He did not give any indication about his policy direction as far as...

It is too early to speculate on the effects the incoming Trump administration may have on automotive trade between South Africa and the US, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) director Nico Vermeulen. “It is best to wait for the installation of the new administration so that we can gain clarity on US trade policy.” In an interview with German newspaper Bild, published on Monday, US president-elect Donald Trump – who continues to signal a more protectionist US trade policy – ...