Trump plans to end South Africa, Rwanda’s AGOA access in 2027

The Trump administration intends to end South Africa’s and Rwanda’s eligibility for African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preferences on Jan. 1, 2027, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Nov. 2. The notice is prospective; neither country has yet been removed under it.

Congress has already extended AGOA through Dec. 31, 2028, under Public Law 119-103, signed Sept. 2. The announced Jan. 1, 2027, date therefore falls within the extended authorization and does not depend on another congressional renewal. USTR said the notice followed the annual interagency review and reported that President Donald Trump found both governments’ practices inconsistent with AGOA eligibility criteria. It cited trade and investment barriers and national-security and foreign-policy concerns for both countries, as well as concerns about rule of law, political pluralism, worker rights and human rights in Rwanda, and corruption in South Africa.

South Africa exported about $1.7 billion in goods to the United States under AGOA in 2025, Reuters reported. Across all AGOA countries, U.S. imports receiving duty-free treatment under the program totaled $5.0 billion in 2025, down from $7.9 billion in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service. These figures cover different scopes: South Africa alone versus all participating countries. The program-wide decline was recorded before the Nov. 2 notice.