What is the major benefit of the AGOA agreement for South Africa?

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) is the US law which allows eligible African countries to export many products to the US duty-free. It has been particularly beneficial to South African automobile, wine, and fruit exporters.

What is the purpose of AGOA?

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides duty-free treatment to goods of designated sub-Saharan African countries (SSAs).

Is AGOA good for Africa?

“The utilization of AGOA privileges has been sub-optimal, with only seven out of 39 African countries being able to meaningfully take advantage of the opportunity availed by the treaty,” noted Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission.

Which countries benefit from AGOA?

Profiles of the current AGOA beneficiary countries

Angola. Cape Verde. Central African Republic.
Comores. Djibouti.
Mauritania. Namibia.
South Sudan.

How has AGOA impacted the development of Africa’s economy?

We find that AGOA significantly enhanced apparel exports to the US, which increased by 22% for AGOA-eligible countries from 2001 onwards relative to pre-AGOA levels. The marginal impact on African apparel exports of beneficiary countries started low but shot up over the first four years after AGOA enactment.

Why is AGOA better than a bilateral free trade agreement?

The benefit of preferential trade agreements is that they can create sustainable structural changes. The infant industry protection provided by AGOA allowed the industry to develop and flourish, such that decreasing trade costs by just 2 percent would allow Lesotho to maintain its competitiveness.

What type of agreement is AGOA?

AGOA is a trade program meant to establish stronger commercial ties between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. The act establishes a preferential trade agreement between the U.S. and selected countries in the sub-Saharan region.

How does Lesotho benefit from AGOA?

AGOA has imparted significant and valuable benefits to the economy of Lesotho. It has given a boost to exports of textiles and clothing, increased FDI and the manufacturing sector’s contribution to economic growth. It has also reduced unemployment in Lesotho by creating jobs for low skilled workers, particularly women.

Is AGOA a free trade agreement?

The act establishes a preferential trade agreement between the U.S. and selected countries in the sub-Saharan region. It is important to emphasize that AGOA is a preferential trade agreement and not a free trade agreement.

How African countries have gained from AGOA?

AGOA has had a success in helping many African countries diversity their export portfolios.” It is evident that AGOA is providing the right incentives for beneficiary counties to become globally competitive by making economic and commercial reforms.

How much did Ethiopia benefit from AGOA?

Between 2000 and 2020, Ethiopia exported $722 million worth of garments to the US duty-free under AGOA, with three quarters of that in the past three years alone. Ethiopia benefits from very favourable rules of origin under AGOA, which allow the utilization of third country fabrics as qualifying input materials.

Why was AGOA created?

The stated purpose of this legislation is to assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and to improve economic relations between the United States and the region. After completing its initial 15-year period of validity, the AGOA legislation was extended on 29 June 2015 by a further 10 years, to 2025.

What are the benefits of AGOA to the United States?

Additionally, countries must eliminate barriers to U.S. trade and investment, enact policies to reduce poverty, combat corruption and protect human rights. By providing new market opportunities, AGOA has helped bolster economic growth, promoted economic and political reform, and improved U.S. economic relations in the region.

How many countries are eligible for AGOA benefits?

38 countries are eligible for AGOA benefits in 2020. In 2015, Congress passed legislation modernizing and extending the program to 2025. More information on U.S. trade policy toward sub-Saharan Africa, including the model FTA initiative, can be found here.

What does AGOA stand for?

African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) The African Growth and Opportunity Act ( AGOA ) was signed into law by President Clinton in May 2000 with the objective of expanding U.S. trade and investment with sub-Saharan Africa, to stimulate economic growth, to encourage economic integration, and to facilitate sub-Saharan Africa’s integration into…

What is AGOA duty-free?

AGOA provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for over 1,800 products, in addition to the more than 5,000 products that are eligible for duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences program.