Trump Moves to Strip South Africa and Rwanda From US Duty-Free Trade Programme

Donald Trump has formally notified Congress that he wants South Africa and Rwanda out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the preferential trade programme that lets eligible African nations export thousands of products to the United States without paying duties. The removal would take effect on 1 January 2027, according to the BBC.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said an annual review concluded both countries were acting in ways that clash with AGOA's eligibility rules. He said the administration had separately told both governments about the decision. Washington pointed to barriers blocking US trade and investment, plus national security and foreign policy concerns in the region.

Rwanda got an extra stack of grievances: human rights, political pluralism, the rule of law and workers' rights. It lands barely a week after the US Treasury sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry, accusing it of sending thousands of troops to fight alongside M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo and supplying weapons, equipment, logistics and training.

South Africa's list included corruption, capping a stretch of frosty relations with Washington. Last year Trump accused South Africa of white genocide during a White House meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, and his administration opened a refugee pathway for Afrikaners.

US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III called the outcome regrettable and said South African policies had brought it on. Writing on X, he described it as a predictable and preventable result of the government rejecting real concerns raised by the US.

Greer framed the notification as pressure rather than punishment, saying the administration wants African partners to take the steps needed to meet AGOA's criteria. For now, both countries face the prospect of losing duty-free access to the US market when the change kicks in.