WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Monday that Washington intends to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from duty-free access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
AGOA gives eligible African countries duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products. South Africa has been the largest beneficiary of the program, exporting about $1.7 billion worth of goods to the US under AGOA in 2025.
“President Trump found that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria,” Greer said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from either country.
AGOA beneficiaries are expected to adhere to eligibility requirements around maintaining market-based economies and good governance as well as eliminating barriers to US investments and trade, with Washington carrying out regular reviews.
Washington highlighted trade barriers, rule of law and human rights as among issues it is deeply concerned about in Rwanda, which was suspended previously in 2018.
In South Africa, Washington said it was concerned by barriers to US trade and investment, corruption, and threats to US national security and foreign policy interests.
President Donald Trump’s administration has cracked down on South Africa for what Trump says is its persecution of white people. South Africa’s government says this is a falsehood spread by fringe groups.
The US has also taken issue with South Africa’s foreign policy, in particular the genocide case it brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Israel denies genocide.
South Africa’s trade ministry said last week that it was prepared for a negative outcome from the AGOA eligibility review and that it remained open to dialogue with the US. Exports under AGOA make up only about 10% of its total exports to the US and 1% of its total global exports, it noted.
President Cyril Ramaphosa had also said in recent weeks that South Africa must prepare for being cut out of the programme, and that it was already doing so by seeking new markets and signing new trade deals with other partners such as China.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Nellie Peyton in Johannesburg; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Alison Williams)
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