The US House of Representatives recently approved the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a measure that could continue cooperation between the country and the region.
AGOA was first approved in 2000 to grant duty-free access to the US market to eligible countries and products from Sub-Saharan Africa. It expired in September 2025, and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of African jobs depend on it.
South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said in a statement that the renewal of the agreement will “provide certainty and predictability to African and US companies that depend on the program.”
He added that the continent’s largest economy continues to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with the US, despite relations with Washington having deteriorated severely during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The bill to extend AGOA will now go to the Senate before being submitted to Trump for consideration.
Source: Reuters
