US Trade Representative Greer said today that a major US tariff-free trade plan with Africa would be excludedSouth Africa and Rwanda on the grounds that their practices “do not meet” the eligibility criteria, a move that would impact their economies.
“These troubling and widespread practices include, but are not limited to, barriers to US trade and investment, as well as conduct that threatens US national security and foreign policy interests in the region,” Jamieson Greer said in a statement, reports AFP.
The statement said the measure will come into effect from January 1 next year.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides preferential access to the US market to eligible sub-Saharan African countries, and is valid until the end of 2028, but each country will be reviewed annually to determine whether it is eligible.
South Africa is the program’s biggest beneficiary, but its merits are under scrutiny as Washington has stepped up criticism of the South African government. The United States accused the South African government of discriminating against white South Africans, and the South African government denied the relevant false allegations.
Washington has recently increased economic pressure on Rwanda for allegedly supporting the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Rwandan government has denied supporting M23.
