A further 1 800 products are to be added to the more than 4 600 which are already eligible to enter the United States duty-free, in terms of the Generalised System of Preferences programme. This, according to the American State Department.
Members of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) are beneficiaries of this arrangement. According to the US State Department, South Africa is the largest beneficiary, followed by Nigeria, Gabon the Central African Republic and Chad.
While it was announced this week that four countries – Gabon, Niger, the Central African Republic and Uganda – are to be removed from Agoa for not meeting its criteria, Mauritania is being admitted back after having been suspended in 2019 because of hereditary slavery.
South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel, said on Talk Radio 702 that US President Joe Biden had personally endorsed an extension to South Africa’s tenure in 2025, when the agreement will have to be extended or abandoned.
The Agoa Forum is being held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec from Thursday to Saturday.
This year’s theme is: Partnering to Build a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Agoa to Support Economic Development, Industrialisation and Quality Job Creation.
