As part of a comprehensive review of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) – the cornerstone of U.S.-Africa trade policy – Ambassador Froman requested that the U.S. International Trade Commission conduct several studies on the impact and effectiveness of the thirteen-year-old law. Ambassador Froman originally announced this review process at the 2013 AGOA Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August 2013 in order to take an in depth look at what has worked for African exporters and U.S. businesses through AGOA – and what needs improvement. Ambassador Froman requested the ITC studies as a next step in this process, and USTR is also conducting a series of brainstorming roundtables with a range of AGOA stakeholders.
As part of its investigation, the ITC announced that a public hearing will be held on January 24th in order to hear the views of stakeholders on the future of AGOA. In addition, the ITC will be accepting written comments through January 21st. Anyone interested in the future of AGOA is encouraged to participate in this process.
For additional details and to learn how to participate, visit the ITC’s website here to view the Federal Register Notice.
