The African Growth and Opportunities Act exemplifies the growing inter-dependence between African countries and the United States of America.
“AGOA exemplifies the growing inter-dependence between Africa and the US. Don’t forget there are 40 million African Americans in the US,” says honourary Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, John Stremlau.
The act is an initiative of the United States and is aimed at giving duty-free market access for producers in eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, AGOA has been at the core of US economic policy as well as commercial engagement with the African continent. The Office of the United States Trade Representative further adds that by “providing new market opportunities, AGOA has helped bolster economic growth, promoted economic and political reform, and improved US economic relations in the region”.
South Africa hosted the 20th AGOA Forum in early November. The three-day session held in Johannesburg followed on the short, physical meeting held in Washington DC, in the US in December 2022.
One wouldn’t have been wrong to wonder how the meeting – which alternates between the US and the African continent annually – would pan out, given what appeared to be strained relations between South Africa and the US. This, following the Lady R matter in which US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused South Africa of having weapons intended for Russia, loaded onto the container ship that docked near Cape Town in December last year.
However, an independent panel appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa found no evidence that weapons had been loaded.
Despite the outcome of the panel, the seeds of doubt had already been sown and what followed was a wait-and-see game of how the meeting would unfold, despite Cabinet’s welcoming of the acknowledgement of US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, of the seriousness with which President Ramaphosa had addressed the matter. In a statement in October, Cabinet welcomed the affirmation of the strong relations between South Africa and the United States.
In October, Sullivan spoke to President Ramaphosa’s National Security Advisor Sydney Mufamadi and the two officials reaffirmed the strong relations between the two countries.
Source: SA News