The United States Congress has moved a step closer to reviving the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the key trade programme that expired on September 30.
Gatekeepers News reports that the AGOA Extension Act, introduced by Representative Jason Smith, proposes a three-year renewal of the initiative until December 31, 2028. The bill also allows retroactive duty-free treatment for qualifying imports from eligible African countries, enabling U.S. importers to claim refunds for duties paid since the programme lapsed.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means approved the bill with strong bipartisan backing in a 37–3 vote, paving the way for full House consideration.
A statement from the committee described AGOA as “the cornerstone of economic relations between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan African nations”. Lawmakers are expected to try to insert the bill into a continuing resolution to keep U.S. federal agencies funded past January 2026.
Rosa Whitaker, former U.S. assistant trade representative for Africa and co-chair of the AGOA Alliance — a coalition supported by Afreximbank — told The Africa Report that the extension marks a major boost for a programme she said has helped create 1.3 million African jobs, enabled over half a trillion dollars in duty-free African exports to the U.S., and supported nearly half a million American jobs.
“Since AGOA’s enactment, U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa have tripled — from $5.9bn to more than $18bn — strengthening supply chains and deepening strategic partnerships,” Whitaker said. “AGOA has always been a true win-win for both the United States and Africa at virtually no cost to U.S. taxpayers.”
African ambassadors and business leaders are expected on Capitol Hill on Thursday for further engagements with members of the Ways and Means, House Foreign Affairs, and Senate Foreign Relations committees.
