Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau speaking at a podium. Photo: Parks Tau/X.
The United States has announced its intention to withdraw South Africa’s benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from 1 January 2027.
The announcement on 2 November 2026 followed an annual eligibility review. Washington cited barriers to American trade and investment, corruption, and concerns involving US national security and foreign-policy interests.
AGOA gives qualifying African products duty-free access to the US market. Losing these benefits would not ban South African exports, but could make affected goods more expensive and less competitive.
Illustration of citrus fruit in a warehouse, representing South African agricultural exports. AI-generated illustration.
Responding on 3 November, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said government would continue engaging Washington, support affected industries and pursue other export markets.
According to government figures, South Africa exported nearly US$1.7 billion worth of goods under AGOA in 2025—approximately 10% of its exports to the US.
Government said the impact would differ across sectors and was being assessed with affected industries.