A key committee in the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for three additional years.
The extension was passed in its current form with no exceptions, despite earlier hints from U.S. officials suggesting that South Africa might be excluded.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday that the Trump administration was open to a one-year extension but might exclude South Africa, describing it as a “unique problem.”
However, the bill approved by the Ways and Means Committee did not mention any exclusions.
AGOA, which expired in September, grants eligible sub-Saharan African products preferential access to the U.S. market.
The program is widely regarded as vital for African economies, supporting what is believed to be hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The bill will now move to the full House for a vote, though no clear timetable for debate has yet been set.
