Maseru, Sept.10—Lesotho’s key export sectors particularly textiles, apparel and fisheries products are set to enjoy duty free access to the United States (U.S) market for the next more than two years.
This follows the U.S approving a two year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), preserving duty free access to the American market for 32 eligible African countries through December 31, 2028. The extension took effect on September 02, when the U.S President Donald Trump signed the H.R 6500 bill into law.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development, this legislative milestone secures continued duty-free market access for eligible exports originating from Lesotho to the U.S.
It states that exports from Lesotho can now enter the U.S market duty-free under current dispensations, an arrangement that will remain protected until December 2028 saying this comes as a crucial restoration of benefits following the expiration of the Section 122 tariff lines on July 24 this year.
“Effectively, this means that Lesotho’s key export sectors particularly textiles, apparel and fisheries products will enjoy seamless duty free access to the American market for the two years”, it adds.
The statement indicates that these new developments in the U.S market bring much-needed financial relief, eliminating the costly tariffs that had been levied on Lesotho’s exports over the past few months.
In light of this breakthrough, the ministry is strongly encouraging Lesotho’s private sector to aggressively leverage this market dispensation and seize the opportunity not only to boost their current export volumes but also to diversify the range of products they send to the U.S market.
On the other hand, the statement highlights that the government of Lesotho is not stopping at this temporary extension but will continue to engage with the United States both through direct bilateral channels and under the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) mechanisms to secure deeper trade integration and permanent market access for Lesotho’s exports.
Meanwhile the ministry has promised to provide further updates to the public and business community as new developments unfold.
AGOA’s path to renewal has been anything but smooth. The programme lapsed on September 30, 2025, after the Congress failed to reauthorize it before its original expiry date. Lawmakers restored it retroactively in February 2026 but only for a single year, running through the end of 2026. That short runaway left exporters and investors across the continent guessing about what would come next.
AGOA has anchored trade between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. It grants qualifying countries duty free access for more than 1,800 product categories from textiles and apparel to coffee, cut flowers and manufactured goods.
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