Lesotho's trade minister said on Wednesday (24 September) that the U.S. plans to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gives the continent preferential access to U.S. markets, by a year, after returning from a visit to Washington.
A slew of tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on global trading partners on 4 April hit African countries hard. They were widely seen as the death knell for the quarter-century-old AGOA deal, putting millions of livelihoods at risk.
Lesotho initially got hit with the world's highest tariff of 50% on Trump's so-called 'Liberation Day' - ruinous for the tiny mountain kingdom's export-led development model, which was almost entirely dependent on textile factories selling jeans and T-shirts to the U.S.
Trump reduced it to 15% in August. A Lesotho trade delegation visited the U.S. from 15-19 September.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Business Development Mokhethi Shelile, who led the delegation, told a news conference late on Wednesday that they met U.S. officials.
"They all agreed that AGOA has to be extended and they promised us that by November or December [at] the latest, it will be extended by a year," Shelile said.
AGOA expires on 30 September and companies that benefit from it have warned that any delay in renewing it risked significant job losses and factory closures.
A spokesman for Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee said, "The Trump administration hasn't informed Finance Committee Democrats [of] its position on renewing AGOA. Ranking Member Wyden continues to support renewing the program."
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, ...
Mexican Alpine skier Lasse Gaxiola will have his mother for company on his Olympic debut but she will not be cheering him from the finish area in Satu...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 11th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
A proposed multinational peacekeeping force for Gaza could involve around 20,000 personnel, with Indonesia estimating it may contribute up to 8,000, a...
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington could deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East if nuclear negotiations with Iran c...
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, stunned viewers by publicly admitting he had cheated on his girlfriend and pleaded for another chance during post-race interviews.
Mexican Alpine skier Lasse Gaxiola will have his mother for company on his Olympic debut but she will not be cheering him from the finish area in Saturday's giant slalom in Bormio because she will be three hours away preparing her own race.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 11th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a bridge project linking Canada’s Ontario province with the U.S. state of Michigan would contribute to cooperation between the two countries.
JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday (9 February), becoming the first sitting U.S. Vice President to visit the country, as Yerevan and Washington agreed to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector in a bid to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus.
The United States and Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership in Baku on Tuesday (10 February) encompassing economic and security cooperation as Washington seeks to expand its influence in a region where Russia was once the main power broker.
António José Seguro’s decisive victory over far-right challenger André Ventura marks an historic moment in Portuguese politics, but analysts caution that the result does not amount to a rejection of populism.
Buckingham Palace said it is ready to support any police investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew shared confidential British trade documents with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as King Charles expressed “profound concern” over the latest revelations.
Iran’s atomic energy chief says Tehran could dilute uranium enriched to 60 per cent if all international sanctions are lifted, stressing that technical nuclear issues are being discussed alongside political matters in ongoing negotiations.
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, stunned viewers by publicly admitting he had cheated on his girlfriend and pleaded for another chance during post-race interviews.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 11th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A proposed multinational peacekeeping force for Gaza could involve around 20,000 personnel, with Indonesia estimating it may contribute up to 8,000, a spokesman for Prabowo Subianto said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington could deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East if nuclear negotiations with Iran collapse, warning of tougher action if no deal is reached.
Ten people including the shooter are dead after an assailant opened fire at a high school in western Canada on Tuesday in one of the country's deadliest mass casualty events in recent history.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment