Summary: US removes Gabon, Niger, CAR and Uganda from trade deal

FILE PHOTO: U.S President Joe Biden participates in the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Closing Session on Promoting Food Security and Food Systems Resilience, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C., U.S. December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

Source: X07310

What we know

The US has terminated the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program benefits for Gabon, Niger, the Central African Republic, and Uganda
It has reinstated the benefits for Mauritania
Mauritania was suspended in 2019 due to worker rights concerns
The decision takes effect from January 1, 2024
AGOA provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for most agricultural and manufactured products exported by eligible African countries
Gabon and Niger’s AGOA eligibility will be terminated due to unconstitutional changes of government
Uganda will lose its eligibility due to its passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA)
The Central African Republic will lose its eligibility due to human rights violations

What they said

US Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai said in a statement: “Recognizing progress made by Mauritania in recent years, we know that there is more hard work to be done.” She further explained the US government’s position on the 4 countries rendered ineligible. “The United States urges these governments to take necessary actions to meet those criteria so that we can resume our valued trading partnerships. I will provide each of these countries with clear benchmarks for a pathway toward reinstatement, and our Administration will work with them to achieve that objective.”

Ismail Akwei