What is AGOA?
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States Trade Act aimed at significantly enhancing U.S. market access for (currently) 39 Sub-Saharan African countries. The Act's mandate to 2015.
The AGOA trade programme extends duty-free access to the U.S. market. Notable items include apparel and footwear, wine, a variety of agricultural products, chemicals and others.
While AGOA removes import duties on eligible African imports, preferential market access is granted only upon compliance with the relevant Rules of Origin. These rules prescribe the percentage value added that must take place locally in an AGOA-beneficiary country.
Country eligibility for AGOA is determined by the US President and takes into account whether countries meet with a number of requirements. Countries need to "have established, or are making continual progress toward establishing the following: market-based economies; the rule of law and political pluralism; elimination of barriers to U.S. trade and investment; protection of intellectual property; efforts to combat corruption; policies to reduce poverty, increasing availability of health care and educational opportunities; protection of human rights and worker rights; and elimination of certain child labour practices".
List of AGOA-Beneficiaries (in alphabetical order)
| COUNTRY | DATE DECLARED AGOA ELIGIBLE |
| Angola | 30-Dec-03 |
| Benin | 02-Oct-00 |
| Botswana | 02-Oct-00 |
| Burkina Faso | 10-Dec-04 |
| Burundi | 01-Jan-06 |
| Cameroon | 02-Oct-00 |
| Cape Verde | 02-Oct-00 |
| Chad | 02-Oct-00 |
| Comores | 01-Jul-08 |
| Congo | 02-Oct-00 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of | 01-Jan-03 |
| Djibouti | 02-Oct-00 |
| Ethiopia | 02-Oct-00 |
| Gabon | 02-Oct-00 |
| Gambia, The | 01-Jan-03 |
| Ghana | 02-Oct-00 |
| Guinea | 02-Oct-00 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 02-Oct-00 |
| Kenya | 02-Oct-00 |
| Lesotho | 02-Oct-00 |
| Liberia | 29-Dec-06 |
| Madagascar | 02-Oct-00 |
| Malawi | 02-Oct-00 |
| Mali | 02-Oct-00 |
| Mauritius | 02-Oct-00 |
| Mauritania | 28-Jun-07 |
| Mozambique | 02-Oct-00 |
| Namibia | 02-Oct-00 |
| Niger | 02-Oct-00 |
| Nigeria | 02-Oct-00 |
| Rwanda | 02-Oct-00 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 02-Oct-00 |
| Senegal | 02-Oct-00 |
| Seychelles | 02-Oct-00 |
| Sierra Leone | 23-Oct-02 |
| South Africa | 02-Oct-00 |
| Swaziland | 02-Oct-00 |
| Tanzania | 02-Oct-00 |
| Togo | 21-Apr-08 |
| Uganda | 02-Oct-00 |
| Zambia | 02-Oct-00 |
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For more information check our the AGOA.info web portal which is aimed at ensuring traders and other stakeholders fully utilise the benefits of AGOA through the provision of information, and building of capacity.
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Emmanuel Dennis Ngongo
P.O. Box 8799 - 00200
Nairobi Kenya
Cell: +254 722619005
http://emmanuel-ed.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Emmanueldennis
www.yesweb.org
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