South African lobby group makes urgent appeal to Trump to let businesses keep US trade benefits even if countries lose AGOA access

A South African business organisation has proposed a major overhaul of the United States’ flagship African trade programme, seeking to protect qualifying companies from losing preferential market access because of disputes involving their national governments.

Sakeliga said the plan would allow individual companies, provinces, municipalities and special economic zones to qualify for US trade benefits even when their countries fail AGOA’s national eligibility requirements.

The proposal would mark a major departure from the programme’s current structure, under which Washington grants or withdraws benefits at country level.

According to BusinessTech, Sakeliga submitted the plan to the Office of the United States Trade Representative on May 15 as Washington reviews the African Growth and Opportunity Act, known as AGOA.

The Pretoria-based lobby group, founded in 2011 and rooted in South Africa’s Afrikaans-speaking business community, is led by Piet le Roux, with Russell Lamberti as executive director.