Maseru, Jan. 13 — The United States House of Representatives has approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the trade programme that allows many sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to American markets.
AGOA expired in September 2025 after lapsing for a few months, disrupting African exports, hurting businesses, and weakening the continent’s trade ties with the United States.
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of the extension, with 340 lawmakers supporting the bill and 54 opposed. The legislation now moves to the Senate for further consideration. However, the fate of South Africa’s participation remains uncertain amid ongoing trade and diplomatic tensions with the U.S.
This bill known as the AGOA Extension Act, focuses on the extension of certain trade benefits and customs user fees related to imports from specific African countries.
It aims to accomplish among others extension of duty-free treatment for imports from specified countries in Africa under AGOA. It proposes to change the expiration date for these benefits from September 30, 2025 to December 31, 2028 which means that countries eligible under AGOA will continue to receive preferential treatment when exporting to the United States for an additional three years.
It also amends provisions concerning regional apparel article programs, increasing certain limits: it extends the limit on succeeding apparel articles from 21 to 24.
Similar adjustments are made to other sections related to third-country fabric programs, ensuring that more types of fabrics may be used in producing apparel that can be exported duty-free.
The bill further includes a provision for retroactive application of the duty-free treatment. Any covered articles that entered the U.S. after September 30, 2025, and before the enactment of this Act can be treated as if they entered on the date of enactment. This means that importers may request to have their duties recalculated based on the new law.
It adds that importers must submit their requests within 180 days after the enactment of the Act while amounts owed by the U.S. for these re-duties will be paid without interest within 90 days of the liquidation or reliquidation process.
The bill also extends customs user fees set within the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 and the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. The expiration date for these fees is also moved from September 30, 2031 to December 31, 2031.
Meanwhile this breakthrough comes months after a high-level delegation of Lesotho led by Ministers of Trade and Industry Mr. Mokhethi Shelile and Labour and Employment Mr. Ts’eliso Mokhosi in September last year lobbied the United States lawmakers.
AGOA has for years remained a cornerstone of Lesotho’s export-led growth in the textile and apparel sector.
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