A private United States business body advocating stronger trade ties with Africa has called for an extension of “at least 10 years” of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference legislation.
The last AGOA 10-year extension expired in 2025. This month, the Trump administration renewed it until the end of 2028. The US legislation gives qualifying African countries duty-free access to US markets, but its benefits have largely been negated by the Trump administration’s series of worldwide tariffs.
The US-based Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) said in a statement that the two-year extension was welcome, and “provides an important measure of certainty for businesses, investors, workers and governments across the United States and Africa”. However, a longer time period was needed.
AGOA had delivered two-way benefits since its inception, supporting American companies, workers, and consumers while advancing economic growth and diversification across Africa.
“In recent months, CCA has intensified its advocacy and engagement around AGOA’s renewal, including briefing the African Union and members of the African diplomatic corps, meeting with African Ministers of Trade, consulting with key U.S. Government officials in the Administration, and engaging Members of Congress and congressional staff across party lines.
“While this two-year extension is an important and welcome step, CCA will continue to advocate for a longer-term renewal and modernization of AGOA, specifically, a reauthorisation of at least 10 years to provide the certainty businesses need to make long-term investment decisions, build supply chains, create jobs, and expand commercial relationships across the continent,” the council said.
