The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was signed into law in 2000 and has been the foundation of U.S. economic policy and business-related engagement with the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since its enactment. AGOA provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for over 1,800 products, in addition to the more than 5,000 products that are eligible for duty-free entry under the Generalized System of Preferences(GSP) program.
In 2002, 2004, and 2006, Congress passed, and the executive branch implemented legislative enhancements of AGOA. And in 2015, Congress passed the Trade Preferences Extension Act (TPEA), updating and extending the program to 2025.
COVID-19’s economic impact presents a threat to US-Africa trade and investment, U.S. – Africa strategic alliances, and gains made over the last two decades using the benefits of AGOA.
AGOA has been a long-term commitment with broad bipartisan support; however, it expires in 2025. As a result, we launched the advocacy campaign for the 10-year extension of AGOA during our Roundtable Discussion on the Future of AGOA on December 13, 2022, in Washington, DC, USA, and virtually on the margins of the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit. The campaign advocating for a ten-year extension of AGOA benefits aligns with African Union’s Agenda 2063.
We appreciate your interest in AGOA! We invite you to join our petition to the 118th Congress of the United States and the Biden-Harris Administration for the extension of AGOA by signing our request to extend AGOA to 2035. [SIGN YOUR NAME TO THE PETITION BELOW]