Joe Biden is meeting African leaders – why free trade is a major talking point
By James Thuo Gathii, Loyola University Chicago
African leaders face a dilemma over trade relations with the United States. Should they push for the extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) or for each country’s bilateral trade deal with the world’s biggest economy?
AGOA was the signature economic policy of the Bill Clinton administration. It provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products. It is set to expire in 2025 but is up for discussion at the annual forum on AGOA taking place alongside the US-African Leaders Summit (13-15 December 2022).
The Trump administration preferred to negotiate bilateral trade deals with African countries.
A free trade agreement negotiation with Kenya in early 2020...