The US trade delegation has used the Agoa Forum, hosted last week in Johannesburg, to reiterate that its economic relationship with South Africa remains 'strong' despite the Lady R debacle, differing positions between the two countries on Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas crisis in Gaza.

South Africa's government is hoping that the process to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) by the US Congress will be concluded by early 2024, ensuring that more than 20 African countries continue to have duty-free access to the world's largest economy.

This is the first time that the South African government has given a timeline for when it hopes the US Congress might extend Agoa, which has been renewed twice since it was launched in 2000, and is due to expire in September 2025.

In his closing remarks at the Agoa Forum in Johannesburg on Saturday, 4 November, South Africa's trade, industry and competition minister, Ebrahim Patel, said the government's plan involved two stages.

"The first stage will be focused on reauthorisation as rapidly as possible with a modest package of refinements, which do not require lengthy discussions. And the second stage will involve deeper improvements to Agoa that might require time. We are particularly keen to get the reauthorisation in the earliest part of 2024," Patel said.

In other words, the government wants Aoga to be first extended and improvements on its trade terms can be made at a later stage.

With the re-authorisation of Agoa...