The United States removes South Africa and Rwanda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade program

Updated 2026-11-03 · told from many outlets at once

The United States has sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry over its ties to the M23 rebels in the DRC and is imposing economic pressure. The U.S. will exclude both Rwanda and South Africa from a major Africa-U.S. trade deal, citing violations of eligibility criteria. The African Growth and Opportunity Act, which allows tariff-free exports from Africa, will see both nations removed starting January 1. The move is based on concerns over trade barriers, national security, and governance issues, with the deal set to remain valid until 2028.

• The United States sanctioned the Rwandan defence ministry over ties to the M23 rebel group.
• The US Trade Representative stated that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices inconsistent with Agoa's eligibility criteria.
• The African Growth and Opportunity Act allows African countries to export products to the United States without tariffs.
• South Africa's trade minister stated the country hoped for a favorable decision from Washington on the trade issue.
• The exclusions from the trade deal will take effect starting January 1.
• The Trump administration cited trade barriers and national security concerns for removing the countries.
• The African Growth and Opportunity Act has been renewed until the end of 2028.

Outlets: Africanews, Capital FM Kenya, Clarín, Daily Monitor (Uganda), Daily Trust, Deutsche Welle, La Libre Belgique, Moneyweb, MyJoyOnline, NRK (siste nytt), Punch, RFI Afrique, RTL Today, Semafor, The Citizen (Tanzania), The Japan Times, TimesLIVE

Written by AI from the outlets' reporting and checked automatically; it can contain mistakes. How Daily Brief works · Privacy