The United States has extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference programme to December 31, 2026, after President Donald Trump signed legislation reauthorising the scheme, offering short-term certainty for African exporters heavily reliant on the U.S. market.
- •The extension takes retroactive effect from September 30, 2025, preventing any lapse in duty-free access for eligible sub-Saharan African countries and exporters across key sectors such as apparel, agriculture, and manufactured goods.
- •AGOA allows qualifying African countries to export more than 1,800 products to the U.S. duty-free, in addition to over 5,000 items already covered under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
- •Washington has signalled that the one-year extension is meant to provide time for more reforms in line with President Trump’s America First trade policy, which emphasises country by country negotiations, greater reciprocity, and expanded market access for American businesses.
“AGOA for the 21st century must demand more from our trading partners and yield more market access for U.S. businesses, farmers, and ranchers,” US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer.
The programme has been a cornerstone of U.S.–Africa trade for over two decades, supporting export-led growth and industrialisation efforts in several economies, including Kenya. Its renewal will be followed by updates to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States arising from the reauthorisation.
For Kenya, AGOA remains a critical export channel, particularly for textiles and apparel produced under the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) framework, as well as agricultural products such as tea, coffee, and horticulture. The extension provides exporters with breathing room amid global trade uncertainty, currency volatility, and tightening market access conditions in Europe.
However, the emphasis on stricter eligibility and reciprocal trade terms could raise the bar for African economies. To qualify for AGOA benefits, countries must demonstrate progress toward market-based economic reforms, uphold the rule of law, ensure political pluralism, and protect due process rights. They must also reduce barriers to U.S. trade and investment, combat corruption, protect human rights, and implement poverty-reduction policies.
The short extension signals growing pressure on African governments to diversify export markets, deepen regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and prepare for a future where preferential access to major economies may become more conditional.
