The African Growth and Opportunity Act at a Glance

A fact sheet by the South African Institute of International Affairs explaining the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a US-Africa trade deal active since 2001 that provides duty-free US market access to qualifying sub-Saharan African states.

• AGOA provides duty-free access to the US market for eligible sub-Saharan African countries without requiring reciprocal market opening. Eligibility depends on commitments to the rule of law, a market-based economy, internationally recognised workers rights, and the removal of trade and investment barriers with the US. As of the document's date, the DRC, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Swaziland have lost these preferences for failing to meet these conditions.
• The US uses 10,500 tariff lines for imports. Under AGOA, 1,800 additional lines have no tariffs. For a non-Least Developed Country (non-LDC) eligible state like South Africa, this results in duty-free access across 9,000 tariff lines.
• Between 2001 and the time of writing, exports from AGOA countries to the US rose by 78%, while imports from the US into AGOA countries rose by 239%. While the AGOA group maintains a trade surplus with the US, the US has been surpassed by China as the primary export destination for these countries and trails the European Union following the 2008 financial crisis.
• Trade is heavily concentrated among a few nations and dominated by commodities. Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa are the top exporters, though Nigeria and Angola focus on oil. Excluding energy, South Africa is the largest US export partner, followed by Kenya, Lesotho, and Mauritius. Mineral fuels, oils, and distillation products account for 68% of US imports from AGOA, rising to 88% if South African exports are excluded.
• South Africa's engagement with AGOA differs from other members, exporting high-end manufactured goods such as vehicles and component parts. The act is estimated to contribute 62,395 jobs to the South African economy.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2014). The African Growth and Opportunity Act at a Glance. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-african-growth-and-opportunity-act-at-a-glance/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The African Growth and Opportunity Act at a Glance. 2014. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-african-growth-and-opportunity-act-at-a-glance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The African Growth and Opportunity Act at a Glance |date=31 July 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-african-growth-and-opportunity-act-at-a-glance/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2014african, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The African Growth and Opportunity Act at a Glance}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-african-growth-and-opportunity-act-at-a-glance/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }