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[File] Flags of countries represented at the AGOA Summit.
US authorities have re-authorised the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) until the end of this year.
The programme has now passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In a vote on Friday, the Senate whittled down to 12 months a three-year extension that the House had passed earlier.
This after the Trump administration expressed support for a limited extension.
The programme had been in limbo since expiring in September last year.
AGOA extension for one year lapses December 31st and will apply retroactively since September last year.
Reciprocal tariffs override AGOA as Supreme Court weighs the tariff’s legality.— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) February 3, 2026
Since 2000, it’s been providing eligible sub-Saharan countries with preferential access to the US market.
The one-year extension leaves less than 11 months of the free trade agreement in place, which is currently still undercut by President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs imposed on African countries, including South Africa.
The US Supreme Court is weighing the legality of those tariffs after two lower courts ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing the trade levies.
The administration earlier signalled it was in favour of a one-year extension of AGOA, while lawmakers have stressed that the President retained the power to include or exclude countries from the programme.
South Africa’s inclusion is likely to hinge on a decision from the White House after at least one Republican Senator already argued for the country’s exclusion.
VIDEO | AGOA reauthorised for another year:
