Isophoric News · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
US moves to drop South Africa and Rwanda from the AGOA duty-free trade program from Jan. 1, 2027
President Donald Trump has notified Congress and the governments of Rwanda and South Africa that he intends to end their eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade preference program as of Jan. 1, 2027, the Office of the US Trade Representative said on Monday, Nov. 2. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the two governments were "engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA's eligibility criteria," including barriers to US trade and investment and practices that threaten US national security and foreign policy interests. South Africa exported $1.7 billion in goods to the US under AGOA in 2025, more than any other beneficiary, Deutsche Welle reported. The USTR statement listed concerns in Rwanda over trade and investment barriers, rule of law, political pluralism, worker rights, human rights and security, and in South Africa over trade and investment barriers, corruption and security. South Africa's trade ministry said last week that AGOA exports make up about 10% of its exports to the US and 1% of its global exports, according to DW, and the government said on Monday it would support affected sectors. Washington sanctioned Rwanda's defense ministry last week over alleged support for the M23 rebel group in Congo, which Rwanda denies, Africanews reported; the sources carried no Rwandan response to the AGOA decision.
