US excludes Ethiopia, Mali, Guinea from US-Africa trade deal for rights violation

Published on: 01/02/2022 – 09:40

“The United States today withdrew Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from the AGOA trade preferences program due to actions taken by each of their governments in violation of the AGOA statute,” he said. the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was put in place in 2000 under the administration of former President Bill Clinton to facilitate and regulate trade between the United States and Africa.

But the United States is “deeply concerned about the unconstitutional change of government in Guinea and Mali,” the statement said.

He also expressed concern at the “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights perpetrated by the Ethiopian government and other parties amid the conflict that is spreading in northern Ethiopia.”

“Each country has clear benchmarks for a path to reintegration and the administration will work with their governments to achieve this goal,” USTR said.

Under the AGOA agreement, thousands of African products can benefit from reduced import taxes, subject to conditions of respect for human rights, good governance and worker protection, as well as not enforce a customs ban on American products in their territory.

In 2020, 38 countries were eligible for AGOA, according to the USTR website.

The agreement was modernized in 2015 by the US Congress, which also extended the program until 2025.

(AFP)