African manufacturers on Wednesday welcomed US lawmakers’ move to revive duty-free access, urging swift action to seal a deal hanging in uncertainty.
For 25 years, the African Growth and Opportunity Act has underpinned trade, sending billions in cars, clothes and goods across the Atlantic.
That bridge faltered last September, when AGOA expired in 32 countries, threatening jobs and forcing exporters to swallow punishing new tariffs.
On Tuesday, the US Congress approved a bill to restore the scheme for at least three years, pending Senate approval.
The vote was a “very positive sign,” said Pankaj Bedi, whose Kenyan factory exports Wrangler and Levi’s jeans and employs 10,000 workers.
But urgency remains, he said, as companies face slowing demand, fragile cash flows and mounting pressures across the manufacturing sector.
Bedi said his firm absorbed a 33 percent tariff hike to protect customers, warning such sacrifices cannot endure.
Kenya’s trade minister Lee Kinyanjui called the House approval a “critical milestone,” predicting renewed confidence and expansion across the sector.
South Africa also welcomed the move, with trade minister Parks Tau praising the country’s longstanding trade and investment ties with Washington.
Before expiry, South Africa led AGOA trade, driven by a $1.6 billion automotive sector now exposed to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.