The United States government has announced plans to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from its flagship duty-free trade programme for African countries, effective January 1, 2027.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed on Monday that US President Donald Trump intends to “terminate” the two countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program starting in January 2027.
In a statement, Greer said “President Trump found that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria.”
Greer said these practices include “barriers that undermine American trade and investment and practices that pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy interests in the region.”
According to Reuters, the AGOA program has been the centerpiece of US economic engagement with Africa since it was enacted in 2000, offering duty-free access to the US consumer market for thousands of products from eligible countries.
The Trump administration has taken a series of measures against South Africa, accusing its government of persecuting white South Africans, an allegation Pretoria rejects.
South Africa has been the largest beneficiary of the US program, exporting about $1.7 billion worth of goods to the US under AGOA in 2025. Its main exports include car parts, citrus fruit, and wine, while Rwanda’s include coffee and minerals.
South Africa’s trade ministry late on Monday said it would support sectors affected by the decision and continue pursuing trade, investment and shared economic opportunities with the United States.
“AGOA remains important to South Africa, but it does not constitute the totality of the economic relationship between South Africa and the United States,” it said in a statement.
