Relief for Nigeria, others as US senate extends duty-free AGOA trade pact till 2028

By Nkiruka Nnorom

The United States Senate has approved a two-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, paving the way for eligible sub-Saharan African countries to continue enjoying duty-free access to the US market until December 2028.

The extension, passed with 90 votes in favour and 6 against, comes as a major relief for African exporters as the current AGOA arrangement was due to expire at the end of September this year.

AGOA, which has been a key plank of US-Africa trade relations for 25 years since its enactment in 2000, allows eligible African countries to export more than 1,800 products duty-free to the U.S. The deal covers agricultural products, footwear, automobiles, textiles, apparel and other manufactured goods worth billions of dollars annually.

Speaking on the development, US Senator, Raphael Warnock, who played a leading role in pushing the extension, said the move would help to “lower the cost of everyday goods and improve our national security by helping stabilize the economies of our global partners.”