US Senate Moves Quietly to Extend African Trade Pact Through Trump’s Term
The U.S. Senate is quietly considering a further extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), potentially keeping the preferential trade programme in place through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s current term, according to reports on efforts underway in Congress.
The development comes months after Washington provided only a short-term lifeline for the programme. Trump signed legislation in February extending AGOA through December 31, 2026, with the extension applied retroactively to September 30, 2025, when the previous authorisation expired.
AGOA, established in 2000, gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the U.S. market, allowing qualifying products to enter largely duty-free. The programme covers more than 1,800 products, while additional benefits are available through the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences framework.
The possibility of another extension is significant for African exporters, particularly industries such as textiles and apparel, agriculture, automotive components and other manufactured goods that rely on preferential access to the American market.
The U.S. House of Representatives had previously backed a three-year AGOA extension, but the Senate ultimately supported a much shorter extension, leaving the programme’s longer-term future uncertain.
The Trump administration has also signalled that it wants a substantially different AGOA.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said Washington wants to modernise the programme in line with Trump’s “America First Trade Policy”, with greater emphasis on reciprocal market access and benefits for U.S. businesses, farmers and workers.
That could make any new renewal more complicated than simply extending the existing arrangement.
USTR launched a public consultation in April seeking recommendations on how AGOA should be modernised. The administration has indicated that the next version could place greater emphasis on reducing barriers facing American exports and strengthening the United States’ commercial position in Africa.
AGOA has been an important component of U.S.-Africa commercial relations for more than two decades. According to Carnegie, U.S. imports under AGOA and the related GSP programme reached $9.7 billion in 2023, while the programme has supported hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs across Africa.
Its future has become particularly important as African governments face a changing global trading environment. China has expanded its duty-free access arrangements with African countries, while the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is creating a larger internal African market.
A longer AGOA extension would therefore give African exporters additional certainty when making investment and production decisions.
For Nigeria, the issue is particularly relevant because the country is one of the major African economies trading with the United States. However, AGOA eligibility is not automatic. Beneficiary countries must meet U.S. requirements relating to issues including the rule of law, market-based economic policies, human rights, corruption and barriers to U.S. trade and investment.
The bigger question now is whether Congress can reach agreement on a longer-term AGOA framework before the current December 2026 deadline — and what conditions the Trump administration will attach to it.
