Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea have been excluded from the Agoa trade agreement, put in place in 2000 to facilitate and regulate trade between the United States and Africa, the Biden administration announced on Saturday February 1. .
"The United States today excluded Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from the Agoa trade preferences program due to actions taken by each of their governments in violation of the statutes" of this agreement, said the US Trade Representation (USTR) in a statement.
The Agoa (African Growth and Opportunity Act) is a trade agreement put in place in 2000 under the Clinton administration to facilitate and regulate trade between the United States and the United States. 'Africa.
Human rights violation
"The Biden-Harris administration is deeply concerned about the unconstitutional change of the governments of Guinea and Mali," it is detailed.
In addition, the administration is concerned about "flagrant violations of internationally recognized human rights, perpetrated by the Ethiopian government and other parties in the conflict that is spreading in northern Ethiopia," it said.
"Each country has clear benchmarks for a path to reintegration and the administration will work with their governments to achieve this goal," says USTR.
As part of the Agoa agreement, in fact, thousands of African products can benefit from reductions in import taxes, subject to conditions being met concerning human rights, good governance and the protection of workers, but also not to enforce any customs prohibitions on American products in their territory.
In 2020, 38 countries were eligible for Agoa, according to the USTR website.
The agreement was modernized in 2015 by the US Congress, which also extended this program until 2025.
With AFP
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