Biden removes four African countries from trade program

There have allegedly been violations of the rules of America’s flagship effort by the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda.

Citing non-compliance with participation conditions, US President Joe Biden stated on Monday that he plans to remove Uganda, Gabon, Niger, and the Central African Republic (CAR) from the United States’ premier trade project, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

In a letter to the US Senate, Biden stated, “I am taking this step because I have determined that the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda do not meet the eligibility requirements” of the AGOA.

The US leader accused the governments of the CAR and Uganda of “gross violations” of internationally recognised human rights, citing their passage of highly criticised anti-LGBTQ laws earlier this year.

Biden asserted that the soldiers of Niger and Gabon, which overthrew their respective governments in recent coups, had not succeeded in establishing or advancing the defence of political plurality and the rule of law.

He said, “The Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda have not responded to US concerns regarding their non-compliance with the AGOA eligibility criteria, despite intense engagement between the United States and these countries.”

AGOA was introduced in 2000 to provide duty-free access to the US market for more than 1,800 products for qualifying nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Biden said he will keep evaluating whether the four African nations still meet the program’s qualifying conditions, even though he intends to end their benefits on January 1, 2024.

Under former President George W. Bush, Washington had already kicked the CAR and Eritrea out of the AGOA in 2003 for not meeting requirements like democratic values and market-based economic reforms. Barack Obama’s administration only saw the Central African nation restored in 2016.

Burkina Faso was stripped of its beneficiary status by Biden earlier this year, in line with similar measures taken against Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali in 2022.

A group of US congressmen questioned South Africa’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits in a June letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and two other top officials.

The lawmakers urged that the 20th AGOA Forum be moved from Johannesburg to a different nation, expressing their “seriously concern” about Pretoria’s “deepening” connections with Moscow.

African leaders and US officials will gather on November 2–4 to discuss the scheme’s future, as it is scheduled to expire in 2025.