Maseru/Port Louis, 2025 – A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for three more years, preserving duty-free access for thousands of African exports to the American market and offering retroactive relief to importers affected by the program’s lapse earlier this fall.
The AGOA Extension Act, sponsored by Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, proposes to shift the program’s expiration date from September 30, 2025, to December 31, 2028. The legislation also extends key apparel provisions, including the regional apparel and third-country fabric rules, through the same period.
Under the draft law, any eligible African goods that entered the United States after AGOA expired but before the bill becomes law would be treated as if benefits had remained in force. Importers would have 180 days from enactment to file refund requests with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which would then be required to reimburse duties within 90 days, though without interest.
The measure also extends certain U.S. customs user fees, including merchandise-processing fees, through December 31, 2031, aligning them with other trade-related statutory deadlines.
AGOA, first enacted in 2000, grants duty-free access to more than 6,500 products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries. It has become a cornerstone of U.S.–Africa economic relations, particularly for textile and apparel-dependent economies such as Kenya, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Mauritius. The extension bill comes amid mounting pressure from African governments and U.S. industry groups, who warn that uncertainty over AGOA’s future threatens jobs, investment, and supply-chain stability on both sides of the Atlantic.
The bill will next be taken up by the House Ways and Means Committee. Its prospects will depend on negotiations between lawmakers who favor a long-term renewal and those pushing for broader reforms to U.S. trade preference programs.
AGOA was born out of President Bill Clinton’s 1994 declaration during a visit to Africa: “More trade, less aid.” Clinton, struck by the contrast between widespread poverty and the opulence of some governments, signed the act into law in May 2000. The new National Security Strategy echoes that spirit, but critics argue that the Trump administration missed a “golden opportunity” by allowing AGOA to expire on September 30.
According to a lobbyist representing Mauritius and several other African countries, trade disruption has already cost millions of dollars. “We’re all waiting nervously for the House Ways and Means Committee to introduce a serious renewal bill that can move on the next available vehicle before the end of the year. Intense lobbying is underway. Keep your fingers crossed,” the lobbyist said.