US trade representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday said he is open to treating South Africa differently than other African countries if Washington extends a trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa that expired in September. Greer told a US senate appropriations subcommittee hearing that the Donald Trump administration was open to a one-year extension of the African…
Washington, DC — The powerful House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing on a proposed three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the first Congressional action since the legislation expired on October 1. Spearheaded by Committee Chairman Jason Smith of Missouri, the proposed AGOA Extension Act would make December 31,…
Washington, DC — The AGOA Alliance, a coalition of U.S. and African business, policy, and trade leaders, today sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging a 2–5-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker Mike Johnson, and House…
The author, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso The expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act at the end of September marked a watershed moment in the US-South Africa relationship. While Agoa had been effectively undermined by the Trump tariffs imposed earlier this year, it nevertheless provided a backstop for our trade relationship…
Accra — Nearly 30 years ago, five of us – bipartisan Congressional staffers on Capitol Hill – joined forces with five African leaders, including officials of the African Union and even a few Heads of State. We locked ourselves into the granular trade details, often late into the night, drafting what would become the African…
US President Donald Trump’s administration supports a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa that expires on Tuesday, according to a White House official. Since coming to office in January, the administration had not publicly stated a position on the act, known as Agoa, a law first…
African Growth and Opportunity Act has previously been renewed for a decade at a time The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is likely to be renewed for one year, Lesotho’s trade minister Mohkheti Shelile told reporters on Wednesday. AGOA has previously been renewed for a decade at a time. AGOA has, since 2001, enabled…
[allAfrica] New York — The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), legislation that has been the cornerstone of the U.S.-African commercial relationship for the last 25 years, is set to expire on September 30th.
Miguel da Silva, Group Executive: Business Banking at TymeBank, examines the developments affecting South Africa’s SMEs as international finance leaders gather in Johannesburg. Johannesburg Hosts Global SME Finance Forum Alongside G20 Proceedings The Global SME Finance Forum takes place in Johannesburg from 15 to 17 September, bringing together more than 1 200 participants from over…
With the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that has anchored U.S-Africa relations since 2000 set to expire on September 30, prospects for extension or renewal grow increasingly slim. Among foundational principles that have anchored AGOA, the key one is the duty-free entry of specific African products into the American market. “AGOA has helped bolster economic growth,…
