US government to assess African growth act before extension

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The US government is to review the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), under which African exports to the United States have tripled. The Act is due to expire in 2015, but will be extended, according to the office of the US Trade Representative.

“The Administration has already committed to have a seamless renewal of AGOA, but we want to make sure that we know all that AGOA has done, we want to know what the current challenges are to its further utilization, and this public review process will help us to do that.  And of course, all of this will be towards the end of working with the U.S. Congress because AGOA is their baby as well as ours,” said Florizelle Liser, Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa.

98 percent of products shipped from Africa to the US are covered by AGOA and it applies to 39 sub-Saharan African countries.

“… We have to look at how we can make it better, how we can fulfill its promise and potential, and we need to get that right.  As AGOA is extended, we want to make sure that Africans are in a position to compete in the global economy,” Ms. Lizer said.
The US government says it is supporting African states as they strive to put into place economic and political reforms, improve the business and investment climates, establish rule of law and improve governance, address corruption and lack of capacity to produce value-added products. Read more