The United States has doubled down on its trade not aid approach to Africa, with President Donald Trump issuing a new proclamation that extends the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This will continue through December 2026, reinforcing America’s demand for reciprocal trade relationships.
Trump extends African Growth and Opportunity Act trade benefits to 2026
The White House announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration remains committed to modernising AGOA. This is to ensure the programme catalyses strategic trade and investment that benefits both the United States and African partners.
Consistent with the President’s America First strategy, Washington now emphasizes “trade not aid.” According to the proclamation signed by President Trump it pursues fair and reciprocal trade deals with sub-Saharan African nations,
The latest directive extends duty-free treatment under AGOA until December 31, 2026. It also prolongs the regional apparel article programme and third-country fabric programme through the same date.
In a significant development, the proclamation designates Gabon as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for AGOA purposes, effective January 1, 2026.
White House fixes long-standing apparel programme inconsistencies
The White House also made technical corrections to longstanding inconsistencies in trade provisions. A previous proclamation from June 2007 had inserted language limiting the third-country fabric programme to October 2011.
“Subsequent legislation extended the programme to September 2015, then to September 2025. But no conforming changes were made until now.”
President Trump’s proclamation supersedes any inconsistent provisions from previous executive orders and proclamations.
The US Trade Representative, in consultation with US Customs and Border Protection and the International Trade Commission. This will determine whether additional modifications to the Harmonised Tariff Schedule become necessary to implement the new directives.
The proclamation also extends tariff treatment for Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act through December 31,2026.
In a separate development, the United States has committed to rapidly backing Ebola treatment efforts by funding up to 50 treatment clinics. It is also associated with frontline costs in Ebola-affected regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.