(MENAFN) In April, US President Donald Trump introduced new tariffs of up to 50% on imports from African countries, ending the duty-free access these nations previously enjoyed under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This act had allowed sub-Saharan African countries to export more than 7,000 products to the US without tariffs, according to the Center for Global Development.

In 2023, the US Trade Representative reported imports worth $9.7 billion under AGOA, with South Africa ($14 billion), Nigeria ($5.7 billion), Ghana ($1.7 billion), Angola ($1.2 billion), and Côte d’Ivoire ($948 million) being the leading exporters. However, the introduction of a 10% universal tariff on all African goods suggests the end of AGOA’s benefits.

Experts warn that the new tariffs have effectively crippled AGOA. Dr. Francis Owusu, a trade economist from the University of Ghana, stated that Trump’s tariff policy has rendered AGOA ineffective and possibly doomed it to extinction. Yet, despite these challenges, Africa’s large market of 1.4 billion people could offer resilience and opportunities to counteract the impact of these external economic shocks.

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