APA-Kampala (Uganda) Four African nations may be removed from a special US trade preference list if indications from Washington are anything to go by.
This intention was made unequivocal in a letter to the US House of Representative quoting President Joe Biden as stating that the four so-called transgressors of human rights and democracy namely Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda could be delisted from the US-Africa trade programme better known as AGOA.
The Biden statement says Washington would consider removing these nations where egregious rights violations and a retardation of democratic values have been witnessed in the last few years.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was introduced in 2000 to facilitate duty-free trade access for African economies in the US market.
It allows over 1,000 products from eligible African countries into the US duty-free.
36 African countries were eligible for AGOA benefits last year.
According to the AGOA website ”In 2022, combined two-way trade between AGOA beneficiaries and the US exceeded $46 billion, with US imports exceeding exports by $13.5 billion. AGOA beneficiaries exported $30 billion worth of goods to the US in that year, with $10.2 billion traded under duty-free AGOA preference. While the remaining exports were traded under normal tariff relations, the majority of this was in general duty-free categories’.
Although Washington has been engaged in intensive talks the four countries have repeatedly failed to address United States concerns about their non-compliance with the Agoa eligibility criteria.
Biden says the CAR and Uganda have in recent times been known for trampling on the rights of minority groups while Gabon and Niger have witnessed recent coups which have undermined the rule of law and their democratic processes.
Kampala is bracing itself for not only an expulsion from AGOA but also sanctions after it introduced the death penalty for ”homosexual offenders”.
The American leader said the new juntas in Niamey and Libreville have not facilitated ”continual progress toward establishing the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law”.
The four countries have not reacted to Washington’s announcement.
South Africa hosts the 20th Agoa forum on Thursday.