Joe Biden, the U. S President had on Monday, October 30, revealed that he plans to end the involvement of Gabon, Niger, Uganda and the Central African Republic in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, trade program.
Biden had said that he was taking the step because of “significant breaches” of internationally recognized human rights by the Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda.
Biden had also cited Niger and Gabon’s failure to set up or make constant progress toward the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law.
Biden had in a letter addressed to the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said that irrespective of the exhaustive engagement between the United States and the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda, the nations had failed to address the U.S. concerns about their non-compliance with the AGOA eligibility criteria.
To this effect, Biden had revealed that he intends to cease the designation of these countries as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries under the AGOA, effective as from January 1, 2024.
Biden also revealed that he would continue to assess whether they (the countries) met the program’s eligibility requirements.
Established in 2000, AGOA grants exports from eligible countries, a duty-free access to the U.S. market.
This condition is set to expire in September 2025, but discussions are under way to deliberate on possible extensions.
