Trump moves to strip South Africa, Rwanda’s AGOA duty-free access to US market

**WASHINGTON-(MaraviPost)-**US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of his intention to terminate South Africa and Rwanda’s eligibility for duty-free trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), effective January 1, 2027.

In a letter dated 28 October 2026 to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump said both countries no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the preferential trade programme.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the decision was based on concerns raised by the US administration over trade and investment barriers, national security and foreign policy interests.

The US has raised concerns about tariff and non-tariff barriers, agricultural market access, regulatory requirements, investment protections and intellectual property rights.

According to the notification, South Africa was additionally flagged over concerns raised by the US about alleged corruption, while Rwanda was flagged over concerns raised by the US about alleged human rights, rule of law and political freedoms issues.

These are concerns cited by the US administration in its notification and should not be presented as independently established findings. No independent adjudication on those allegations was provided in the letters.

Washington also cited concerns over South Africa’s international relations and cooperation with countries it considers sensitive to US national security interests.

The move, if implemented, would end preferential duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products from both countries that have benefited under AGOA since 2000.

The White House said South Africa and Rwanda could regain eligibility if the concerns identified by the administration are addressed.

In his letter to Ramaphosa, Trump said Washington was willing to continue engagement with Pretoria on trade and investment issues.

South Africa is one of the largest non-oil AGOA beneficiaries, exporting vehicles, agricultural products and metals under the programme. Rwanda’s exports under AGOA are smaller but include apparel and specialty agricultural products.

Neither Pretoria nor Kigali had publicly responded by the time of publication.

AGOA, enacted in 2000, grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for more than 1,800 products. Eligibility is reviewed annually based on criteria including market access, rule of law, human rights and alignment with US national security interests.

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