Trump to remove Rwanda and South Africa from US trade deal
US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of plans to remove South Africa and Rwanda from the Agoa preferential trade programme from 1 January 2027, citing trade barriers, national security concerns and, in South Africa's case, corruption.
BBC World
US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of his intention to remove South Africa and Rwanda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), a preferential trade programme that allows eligible African countries to export thousands of products to the United States duty-free. The removal would take effect from 1 January 2027.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement that an annual review had found both countries were engaging in practices inconsistent with the programme's eligibility requirements. He added that the Trump administration had also notified the two countries of the decision directly.
The administration cited barriers to US trade and investment, as well as concerns over national security and foreign policy interests in the region. For South Africa, the US additionally pointed to corruption.
In Rwanda's case, Washington also raised concerns about human rights, political pluralism, the rule of law and workers' rights.
The announcement comes barely a week after Rwanda's defence ministry was hit with sanctions by the US Treasury over its alleged role in the armed rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Treasury said Rwanda's defence ministry directed thousands of troops to fight alongside M23 rebels in the region, providing weapons, equipment, logistics and training.
"The Trump administration is working to ensure our African partners take the necessary steps to meet the eligibility criteria," Greer said.
The proposed termination threatens both countries' access to preferential trade arrangements with the US and comes amid already strained relations between Washington and the two governments.
Tensions with South Africa have been building for some time. Last year, Trump accused South Africa of white genocide in a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, and launched a US refugee pathway for Afrikaners.
Reacting to the decision, US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III said it was regrettable that South African policies had led to its termination from Agoa. "This was a predictable and preventable outcome resulting from the rejection by South Africa's government of real concerns raised by the US," he wrote on X.