Cape Town – South Africa will host a US-Africa trade summit in November, despite earlier calls from US lawmakers to move the event due to concerns about South Africa’s military relationship with Russia.
The summit, known as the US-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, will take place in Johannesburg from November 2 to 4.
The focus of the meeting will be on the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a flagship US trade programme for Africa that grants tariff-free access to the US market and is set to expire in 2025.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai expressed eagerness to visit South Africa to discuss ways to enhance AGOA’s impact, emphasising President Biden’s interest in Africa.
@AmbassadorTai and Minister Patel Announce the 20th AGOA Forum to be held in Johannesburg, November 2-4, 2023 pic.twitter.com/QLLevAexDj
— the dtic (@the_dtic) September 20, 2023
The US and European officials have sought to rally opposition to Russia’s actions in Ukraine among African governments following the invasion in February 2022. Despite South Africa’s stated neutrality, perceived close ties between Russia and South Africa have raised concerns in Washington.
In June, US lawmakers called for relocating the US-Africa trade meeting, citing joint naval operations between South Africa, China, and Russia, as well as plans to host Russian President Vladimir Putin at a BRICS bloc summit. They also suggested that South Africa’s trade benefits under AGOA could be revoked.
However, Putin did not attend the September BRICS summit, and a South African investigation found no evidence to support the claim that a Russian vessel under sanctions collected weapons at a South African naval base.
In a statement on Wednesday, South Africa’s Trade Minister, Ebrahim Patel, advocated for extending AGOA beyond 2025, highlighting its potential to attract investment to Africa and benefit both the United States and African countries.
Earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa also called for the extension of AGOA for another 10 years to boost South Africa’s economy.
According to IOL, Ramaphosa said that extending this preferential trade agreement would benefit both South Africa and the US by creating jobs.
He was addressing the US-South Africa trade and investment business roundtable discussion on the margins of the UN.
Ramaphosa expressed the importance of Agoa to South Africa and said that they are looking to host the Agoa summit in November.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Twitter/@the_dtic
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
