A delegation of African trade ministers have descended on Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for a swift renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a 15-year-old set of trade incentives up for reauthorization this year.
The delegation of ministers and other advocates of AGOA — which has directly and indirectly created almost 1.5 million jobs and generated more than $26 billion in duty-free exports to the U.S., according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative — fear Congress won’t get around to renewing AGOA until close to the deadline in September.
In a communique issued ahead of a civil society forum hosted by the African Union on Tuesday, the AU emphasized that thousands of jobs — most of them held by women — could be lost if Congress waits until the third quarter to renew AGOA. If legislators drag their feet, the interruption in trade could impede progress, and negatively affect aid donors’ trade efforts in the region.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
