Since Thursday, November 2, South Africa has been hosting a summit focused on the continent's economic and commercial exchanges with the United States, after controversies in recent months surrounding Pretoria's proximity to Moscow, which sparked tensions with Washington.
Members of the American government and ministers of trade and industry from the forty African countries eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are meeting until Saturday in Johannesburg.
AGOA, approved by the US Congress in 2000, is the cornerstone of US economic and trade policy on the continent. The system allows sub-Saharan African countries not to pay customs duties to export their production to American soil.
This preferential treatment is, however, subject to conditions in terms of political pluralism, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The White House announced this week the withdrawal of the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda from the system. The American Congress has yet to validate this decision. The annual summit must notably work on the extension of the agreement which expires in 2025.
“Essential role”
The choice of South Africa as host country is “a sign of our commitment to our bilateral relations,” Joy Basu, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of African Affairs, told AFP. .
Washington “appreciated that the Ramaphosa administration is investigating the concerns raised,” she added. In May, the US ambassador in Pretoria accused South Africa of providing military support to Russia, despite its declared neutrality in the conflict with Ukraine.
An investigation by an independent South African commission concluded that there was no evidence that a ship had transported weapons from the southern African country to Russia. However, American parliamentarians have called for Pretoria, which has refused to condemn Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine, to no longer benefit from commercial advantages. “South Africa is fully eligible to retain its benefits under Agoa,” said Basu.
Trade under AGOA represents 21% of South Africa's exports to the United States, and increased from $2 billion (€1.88 billion) to $3 billion between 2021 and 2022. Exports range from auto parts to raw materials to precious stones.
“AGOA has played a vital role in strengthening economic ties and promoting growth and development on the African continent,” the South African presidency underlined in a statement on Thursday.
