African manufacturers are making a desperate final push for a temporary extension to America's flagship trade programme with the continent, as a 30th September deadline approaches that could devastate thousands of jobs.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which has provided duty-free access to US markets since 2000, faces an uncertain future under President Trump's protectionist agenda. Without congressional action, manufacturers will confront punitive tariff increases that could render African exports uncompetitive overnight.
Kenyan industrialist Pankaj Bedi, whose United Aryan company supplies major American retailers including Target and Walmart, led a coalition to Washington last week seeking a one or two-year extension. The delegation held over 30 meetings with lawmakers and their staff, finding widespread bipartisan support but struggling with procedural hurdles.
The programme, most recently re-authorised through September 2025, covers thousands of products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across textiles, automotive, and mining sectors. Nigeria alone has $1.76 billion (R30 Billion) in exports hanging in the balance, whilst Kenyan textile duties would jump from 10% to 43% without renewal.
"It's like a house of cards that will collapse," warned Bedi, predicting mass redundancies if AGOA expires. The stakes extend beyond economics - the programme was designed to counter Chinese influence in Africa, yet its demise would ironically drive business back to Asian manufacturers.
The scheduled expiration makes the future of US - Africa relations uncertain, particularly as Hill staffers suggest renewal chances are slim under Trump's tariff policies. Previous attempts to secure a 16-year extension failed to reach a congressional vote, and the White House has remained silent on whether it supports continuation.
The programme requires qualifying countries to maintain market-based economies and uphold rule of law, conditions that have fostered good governance whilst providing American businesses with reliable African partners. AGOA extends duty-free preferences beyond the US Generalised System of Preferences, adding many additional tariff lines that weren't previously eligible.
For Kenya's textile sector alone, the consequences would be immediate and severe. Factories that have spent decades building supply chains and training workers face potential closure, whilst years of industrial development could be undone within months.
The timing reflects broader shifts in America's approach to international trade. Trump's return has coincided with growing scepticism about preferential arrangements with developing nations, despite AGOA's strategic importance in countering Chinese expansion across Africa.
With just days remaining, African nations are holding their breath. The programme's fate will determine whether a quarter-century of transatlantic partnership continues or whether America cedes further ground to Chinese competitors on the world's second-largest continent.
The irony is stark: a deal originally designed to limit Chinese influence could end up strengthening Beijing's position across Africa, as manufacturers scramble to find alternative markets and partners. For workers in African factories, the political calculations in Washington will determine their livelihoods and their countries' economic futures.
