WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — US President Donald Trump has told Congress he intends to remove South Africa and Rwanda from a programme that lets African countries export thousands of products to the United States duty-free, from January 1, 2027.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said an annual review of the African Growth and Opportunity Act had found both countries were engaging in practices inconsistent with its eligibility rules. “The Trump administration is working to ensure our African partners take the necessary steps to meet the eligibility criteria,” he said.
The administration cited barriers to US trade and investment, and concerns over national security and foreign policy interests in the region. In Rwanda’s case it also raised human rights, political pluralism, the rule of law and workers’ rights.
The move comes barely a week after the US Treasury sanctioned Rwanda’s defence ministry for its alleged role in the armed rebellion in eastern DR Congo, saying it had directed thousands of troops to fight alongside M23 rebels and supplied weapons, logistics and training.
Relations with South Africa have been strained since last year, when Trump accused it of “white genocide” in a White House meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, a claim South Africa rejects, and opened a US refugee route for Afrikaners.
