In a significant move, President Joe Biden has decided to terminate the designation of Uganda and three other African nations from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), effective January 1, 2024. AGOA, a 23-year-old piece of legislation, allows qualifying African countries to access the US market for exports by granting them duty-free privileges on approximately 6,800 tariff lines in the US tariff schedule.
President Biden hinted at the possibility of removing Uganda from AGOA beneficiaries in May this year, shortly after the passing and signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (2023). On Monday, October 30, President Biden formally informed the US Congress of his decision to exclude Uganda, along with Gabon, Niger, and the Central African Republic from the AGOA program.
“I intend to terminate the designation of these countries as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries under AGOA, effective January 1, 2024. I will continue to assess whether the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda meet the AGOA eligibility requirements,” President Biden communicated.
President Biden cited various reasons for this action. Regarding Uganda, he pointed to the East African country’s “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” As for the Central African Republic, he emphasized similar human rights violations and the failure to establish or make continual progress toward internationally recognized worker rights, the rule of law, and political pluralism.
Niger and the Government of Gabon were also found lacking in terms of political pluralism and the rule of law, with no progress being made in these areas.
In May, President Biden had threatened to remove Uganda from the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), a key program in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, the newly appointed ambassador to Uganda, William Popp, reassured that his government would continue to fund the program despite the removal of AGOA eligibility.
