United States kicks Rwanda and South Africa out of AGOA trade pact

The Trump administration plans to remove Rwanda and South Africa from the AGOA trade program effective January 1, 2027. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said an annual review found that the two governments were engaging in practices inconsistent with eligibility criteria, including barriers to U.S. trade and investment and threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. For Rwanda, Washington also cited concerns about the rule of law, political pluralism, worker rights and human rights; for South Africa, it cited corruption. Established in 2000 and extended through 2028, AGOA provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for thousands of eligible products.