A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives – and scheduled for markup today – seeks to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for three more years, preserving duty-free access for thousands of African exports to the American market and offering retroactive relief to importers affected by the program’s lapse earlier this fall.
The AGOA Extension Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, would push the program’s expiration date from Sept. 30, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2028, according to the bill text. The proposal also extends key apparel provisions — including the regional apparel and third-country fabric rules — through 2028.
Under the draft legislation, any eligible African goods that entered the United States after Sept. 30, 2025, but before the bill becomes law would be liquidated or reliquidated as if AGOA benefits had remained in force. Importers would have 180 days from enactment to file refund requests with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which would then be required to reimburse duties — without interest — within 90 days.
The measure also extends certain U.S. customs user fees, including merchandise-processing fees, through Dec. 31, 2031, aligning them with other trade-related statutory deadlines.
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AGOA, first enacted in 2000, grants duty-free access to more than 6,500 products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries. It has become a cornerstone of U.S.-Africa economic relations, especially for textile- and apparel-dependent economies such as Kenya, Lesotho, Ethiopia and Mauritius.
The extension bill comes amid mounting pressure from African governments and U.S. industry groups, who warn that uncertainty over AGOA’s future threatens jobs, investment and supply-chain stability on both sides of the Atlantic.
The bill will next be taken up by the relevant House committee. Its prospects will depend on negotiations between lawmakers who support a long-term renewal and those seeking broader reforms to U.S. trade preference programs.
AGOA was born out of President Bill Clinton’s well-known 1994 declaration after a visit to Africa: “More trade, less aid.” Some recall that Clinton was struck “by the extreme poverty of the people and the opulence of their governments and dictators,” leading him to sign the Africa bill into law in May 2000.
The new National Security Strategy echoes that spirit. But the Trump administration, critics say, missed a “golden opportunity” at the end of July, allowing AGOA to expire on Sept. 30.
According to a lobbyist representing Mauritius and several other African countries, “Trade is being seriously disrupted and millions of dollars are being lost.”
“We’re all waiting nervously for the House Ways and Means Committee to introduce a serious renewal bill that can move on the next available vehicle before the end of the year. Intense lobbying is underway. Keep your fingers crossed.”
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