President Donald Trump has notified Congress and the governments of South Africa and Rwanda of his intention to terminate both countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act as of Jan. 1, 2027, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said¹.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said an annual interagency review found both governments were engaging in practices inconsistent with AGOA eligibility, including barriers to U.S. trade and investment and practices the administration said pose a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests in the region^1,2,3.

AGOA, enacted in 2000, lets eligible sub-Saharan African countries export thousands of products to the United States duty-free^2,3. Trump extended the program in February, DW reported³. GHY International said the 2027 review was announced in a June 30 Federal Register notice that applied if AGOA is reauthorized⁴.

For Rwanda, USTR listed trade and investment barriers, the rule of law, political pluralism, internationally recognized worker rights, human rights, and threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests^1,4. BBC said the notice came about a week after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Rwanda’s defense ministry over alleged support for rebels in eastern Congo².

For South Africa, USTR listed barriers to U.S. trade and investment, corruption, and threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests^1,4. BBC said a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa also cited agricultural market access, regulatory requirements, investment protections and intellectual property². DW said Greer’s public statement did not give specific examples of the barriers³.

South Africa’s trade minister, Parks Tau, called the decision unfortunate and said Washington was raising issues that had not featured in talks that began in 2025, BBC reported². Pretoria said about 10 percent of its 2025 U.S. exports used AGOA, down from 28 percent in 2024, with program exports of about $1.7 billion after $4 billion the year before^2,3.

DW said South Africa has been AGOA’s largest beneficiary, with auto parts, citrus and wine among the goods, and that officials said last week they were prepared and were seeking other markets³. Greer said the administration was working to ensure African partners meet the eligibility criteria¹. Whether Congress acts, and whether AGOA is reauthorized beyond 2026, was not settled in these accounts^1,4.