Why It Matters
A recent Congressional Research Service report on the African Growth and Opportunity Act examines the future of a program that provides duty-free access to U.S. markets for most goods from eligible sub-Saharan African countries. Congress retroactively reauthorized AGOA through Dec. 31 after the program’s previous authorization expired Sept. 30, 2025. Congress must now decide whether to extend or modify the program beyond the end of the year.
The stakes are significant for African exporters and U.S. businesses that rely on preferential market access. AGOA supporters have historically argued that longer authorization periods provide greater certainty for investment and sourcing decisions. At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing for changes that would make the program more reciprocal and provide greater benefits to U.S. exporters and workers.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has called for a “longer-lasting, more reciprocal AGOA.” USTR has also begun formally developing recommendations for Congress on modernizing the program, including potential changes intended to expand U.S. exports, address trade barriers and create a path toward reciprocal trade agreements with more advanced beneficiary countries.
The Big Picture
Congress enacted AGOA as part of the Trade and Development Act of 2000. The program provides nonreciprocal trade preferences, meaning eligible sub-Saharan African countries receive preferential access to the U.S. market without being required to provide equivalent tariff treatment to U.S. exports.
For 2026, 33 countries are designated as AGOA beneficiaries. Sixteen sub-Saharan African countries are not designated, including Burundi, Ethiopia, Mali and Uganda. AGOA eligibility criteria address trade and investment policy, governance, worker rights, human rights and other requirements, and the president reviews eligibility annually. Rwanda remains an AGOA beneficiary, but its apparel benefits have been suspended since 2018.
Trade under the program remains concentrated among a relatively small number of countries and industries. USTR said in its April modernization notice that sub-Saharan Africa has accounted for between 1% and 4% of total U.S. goods imports during AGOA’s existence. USTR also said imports under AGOA, including products covered by the Generalized System of Preferences, were 90% lower in 2025 than in 2011 and remained concentrated in countries including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya and in sectors such as energy, textiles and apparel, and transportation.
A 2023 U.S. International Trade Commission study found that AGOA had positive effects on certain sectors including apparel, cotton, cocoa and chemicals. The commission also found that AGOA had generally played a limited role in promoting regional economic integration.
The program is also operating alongside a broader shift in U.S. trade policy. The Trump administration has pursued Section 301 investigations into whether dozens of trading partners have failed to effectively prohibit imports produced with forced labor. In June, USTR determined that practices in 60 investigated economies were actionable under Section 301 and subsequently considered responsive trade actions.
The Bottom Line
AGOA’s future hinges on whether Congress extends the existing preference program or restructures it to incorporate the Trump administration’s push for greater reciprocity. USTR published a Federal Register notice April 29 seeking public input on modernization and potential reforms.
The administration specifically sought recommendations on addressing barriers to U.S. exports, creating opportunities for American businesses, protecting U.S. workers, increasing manufacturing competitiveness, strengthening supply chains and ensuring beneficiary countries provide the United States market access comparable to what they provide other developed economies. USTR also asked whether AGOA could provide a pathway toward bilateral trade agreements with beneficiary countries.
Congress therefore faces a decision not only about whether to extend AGOA beyond Dec. 31, but also whether the program should remain primarily a nonreciprocal trade preference system or evolve toward a model that places greater emphasis on reciprocal market access and U.S. economic interests.
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