A US House committee has approved the AGOA Extension Bill. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to be extended by a further three years. On Wednesday the US Committee on Ways and Means approved the AGOA Extension Act by a vote of 37-3,Reutersreported.
The committee, which described the trade initiative as “the cornerstone of economic relations between the US and Sub-Saharan African nations”, did not mention any exclusion of South Africa in its statement. However, there are widespread fears that Pretoria will be excluded from the renewed AGOA, following mutterings at the White House this week. As IOL reported earlier on Thursday, US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer faced sharp questioning from Republican Senator John Kennedy over South Africa’s continued participation in AGOA. This took place at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, where Kennedy argued that South Africa is “not America’s friend,” while pressing Greer on why the country should continue benefiting from the trade programme.
