How Trump’s trade reset a major blow to US-Africa economic ties
The United States’ trade policy for sub-Saharan Africa, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), faces an uncertain future after Donald Trump’s latest moves to overhaul the global trading system.
AGOA, enacted in 2000, has allowed African countries to export thousands of goods to the U.S. duty-free, spurring billions in trade and investment. But the program is set to expire this September, and with no clear path to renewal
Africa policy experts on Capitol Hill told Semafor the program is now teetering on the edge of collapse.
Trump has doubled down on his push for bilateral trade agreements, signaling a sharp turn away from multilateral frameworks like AGOA. “He sees trade through a transactional lens. Multilateral deals don’t fit that vision,” said one Congressional aide.
Though AGOA technically remains alive, insiders say the window to extend the policy is rapidly closing. “AGOA’s chances of renewal are now ‘narrow,’” one Capitol Hill staffer told Semafor. Another added, “While it’s not dead, there are few options to move it forward. Any business planning on its continuation now must assume that the authority will lapse.”
Hannah Ryder, founder of the China-Africa consultancy Development Reimagined, emphasised the need for a unified African response. “There is only one way forward: coordinate and strategize together first,” she said.
Policy experts say the implications could be devastating for African economies, many of which have built export industries around AGOA preferences. Without it, tariffs on key goods — from textiles to agricultural products — could return overnight.
