Trump Seeks to End AGOA Trade Benefits for Rwanda, South Africa

08:00 PM EST, 11/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- President Donald Trump intends to terminate Rwanda and South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade preference program effective Jan. 1, 2027, the Office of the US Trade Representative said Monday. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the decision followed an annual review that found both governments engaged in practices inconsistent with AGOA eligibility criteria, including barriers to US trade and investment and actions posing threats to US national security and foreign policy interests. The administration cited concerns in Rwanda over rule of law, political pluralism, worker rights and human rights, and in South Africa over trade barriers and corruption, the statement said.