On Monday, the United States announced it will suspend South Africa and Rwanda from the duty‑free benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) starting January 1, 2027. The move removes the two countries’ access to the U.S. market for hundreds of products.
AGOA, enacted in 2000, has given thousands of African products duty‑free entry to the U.S. consumer market. South Africa was the largest beneficiary, exporting about $1.7 billion of goods in 2025, mainly car parts, citrus fruit and wine. Rwanda mainly exports coffee and minerals.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the suspension follows findings that Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that violate AGOA eligibility criteria. “President (Donald) Trump found that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA's eligibility criteria,” Greer stated in a statement to Congress.
Greer added that the countries have “barriers that undermine American trade and investment and practices that pose a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests in the region.” The decision will take effect in 2027 and ends the duty‑free status for both nations’ goods.
Both countries have represented a growing U.S. trade partnership on the continent, but Washington’s decision signals a tightening of trade enforcement in the days ahead.
