Marcel Rutagarama

The US to exclude Rwanda from AGOA once again. In 2018, the US suspended Rwanda’s preferential trade benefits under AGOA. Why? Because Rwanda stood up for its local textile industry and challenged the importation of second-hand clothes from the US. Rwanda called on fellow East African countries to reduce their reliance on imported second-hand clothing and focus instead on building local manufacturing capacity, creating jobs, and strengthening domestic industries. The US opposed this policy and pressured Rwanda to reverse its position. While other EAC countries bowed to US pressure, Rwanda maintained its stance, arguing that Africa needed to build its own industrial capacity rather than remain dependent on imported used clothing. The consequence was the suspension of Rwanda’s AGOA benefits in 2018. Now, years later, Washington is once again moving toward excluding Rwanda, alongside South Africa, from AGOA. My question: Is AGOA being used purely as a trade development programme, or is access to it increasingly influenced by political and diplomatic considerations?