Strengthening SA’s global trade resilience

There is an urgent need to look beyond Agoa and rethink global export-import strategies

20 February 2025 – 05:00

by Shane Naidoo

With uncertainty looming as we approach the end of the preferential trade terms SA enjoys with the US under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (Agoa), the stakes for Sub-Saharan African exporters could not be higher. Agoa, which has provided duty-free access to the US market for more than 1, 800 products, has been a cornerstone of SA’s trade relationship with that country.

SA’s potential loss of Agoa benefits, coupled with discussions around a universal 10% US import tariff, could severely disrupt sectors such as secondary agriculture, mining and manufacturing, which would affect pricing competitiveness for international trade both into and out of the US and force businesses to rethink their global strategies. ..

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