Okonjo-Iweala and US lawmakers welcome Trump’s two-year AGOA extension

The African Growth and Opportunity Act has received a two-year reprieve after President Donald Trump signed legislation extending the trade programme through the end of December 2028. The move drew praise from World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and US lawmakers who had pushed for renewal.

Nigeria is among the 32 African countries eligible for AGOA’s duty-free treatment on imports. Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the extension in a post on X, saying she hoped it would stimulate “mutually beneficial and greater Africa-USA trade.” She thanked Congress, the administration, the African Union and African leaders for their persistence.

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Great to learn that the USA has granted a two year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) extending trade preferences to qualifying African countries. Hope this will help stimulate mutually beneficial and greater Africa-USA trade!

The US House of Representatives approved the renewal in January by a vote of 340 to 54. The Senate and House then passed the extension this week, sending it to Trump for signature. The legislation makes no substantive policy changes, giving exporters across the continent a measure of continuity after months of delays and uncertainty about the programme’s future.

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For over two decades, the African Growth and Opportunity Act has been the foundation of America’s trade relationship with the nations of sub-Saharan Africa.

At times, the Trump administration appeared ready to scrap AGOA, significantly reduce it or exclude some countries. South Africa’s participation looked particularly vulnerable. A group of US lawmakers urged Trump to bar Pretoria, while former US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he was open to treating South Africa differently and called it a “unique problem.”

Lawmakers who backed the extension said AGOA supports both African economic opportunity and US strategic interests. Republican Representative Jason Smith called it the foundation of America’s trade relationship with sub-Saharan Africa for more than two decades, citing economic stability, access to critical minerals and more secure supply chains.

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AGOA promotes greater economic stability and opportunity across Africa while advancing America’s strategic and national security interests, including access to critical minerals and more secure supply chains.