Key Takeaways
• After 25 years, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provided duty-free access to U.S. markets for eligible sub-Saharan African countries, has expired.
• Despite bipartisan efforts to extend AGOA through 2041, an extension has yet to be confirmed, leaving suppliers like SanMar (asi/84863) hesitant to invest further in African manufacturing due to unclear long-term benefits and rising global tariffs.
• The end of AGOA could result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs across Africa and significantly increase costs for U.S. suppliers.
International trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa is about to look a lot different.
After 25 years, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expires this week. For the last two-and-a-half decades, the agreement has provided nonreciprocal, duty-free access to U.S. goods produced in designated sub-Saharan African countries. It’s a trade deal that has directly influenced how and where some promo apparel companies source their products. According to a report released by the U.S. Trade Representative, 2023 U.S. imports under AGOA totaled $9.7 billion, with apparel accounting for over $1 billion.
But that could all change now that the deal’s expiration date has passed. An end to AGOA, against the backdrop of rising tariffs on global goods, will reframe how promo companies do business in the continent.
A Brief History
AGOA dates back to the year 2000, when the Clinton administration signed it into law. The goal of this piece of legislation was twofold: Improve trade relations between the U.S. and Africa, and help grow the economy across sub-Saharan Africa’s local villages and communities, many of which have historically struggled to obtain economic prosperity through participation in global trade.
More than two decades later, the trade agreement is on its last leg.
The deal was last renewed in 2015, setting the expiration for this year. Since then, attempts to extend the deal further have proven unsuccessful. In 2024, Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and James Risch (R-Idaho) introduced a bipartisan bill that pushed for an extension to the program through 2041, but it didn’t pass – even though it had the full support of former President Joe Biden.
“I am committed to expeditiously working with Congress and our African partners to renew this law beyond 2025 in order to deepen trade relations between our countries, advance regional integration and realize Africa’s immense economic potential for our mutual benefit,” said the former president in a November 2023 statement. “In so many ways, Africa is the future – and so when Africa succeeds, the whole world succeeds.”
Rigorous Requirements for Global Trade Participation
To qualify for AGOA, sub-Saharan countries must remain in good standing on the global stage. According to the requirements listed on the Office of the United States Trade Representative website, countries must “establish or make continual progress toward establishing a market-based economy, the rule of law, political pluralism and the right to due process.” They must also work to “eliminate barriers to U.S. trade and investment, enact policies to reduce poverty, combat corruption and protect human rights.”
As of February 2025, 32 sub-Saharan African countries were eligible for AGOA. But once countries get approval, they must work to keep it. The U.S. government regularly assesses countries for compliance, and several have been terminated from the agreement. In 2023 alone, Biden announced the termination of four sub-Saharan African countries: Gabon and Niger for what Ambassador Katherine Tai referred to in a statement as “unconstitutional changes of government.” Meanwhile, Central African Republic and Uganda were terminated for violations of internationally recognized human rights.
Read the full feature, complete with country-by-country analysis of AGOA eligibility on ASI Central.
