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The Ugandan government slammed the United States announcement that it would withdraw the country from a trade agreement because of human rights violations. Uganda said the move would hurt its farmers and small businesses
The Ugandan government slammed the United States announcement that it would withdraw the country from a trade agreement because of human rights violations. Uganda said the move would hurt its farmers and small businesses.
As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, Washington announced this week that it was excluding Uganda, along with the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Niger, from the list of sub-Saharan African countries benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from January 2024. The present regime of AGOA will end by the end of this year.
This Act, which dates back to 2000, allows African countries to export a wide range of products to the United States duty-free. This preferential trade treatment is, however, subject to a series of conditions in terms of political pluralism, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and the fight against corruption.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/us-issues-travel-advisory-against-uganda-triggered-by-anti-lgbt-law/
In a letter to Congress, US President Joe Biden accused the Ugandan government of human rights violations, which has been the focus of fierce criticism from human rights groups, the UN, and Western countries since the adoption in May of a law dubbed the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023. Ugandan authorities pointed out that even if Ugandan trade via AGOA was insignificant, the growth of its exports to the United States and other partners was an important pillar of our economic strategy. It also pointed out that Ugandan farmers and small business owners would suffer because of this action. Joe Biden called for its immediate repeal and threatened to reduce American aid and investment in Uganda. The law provides for heavy penalties for people who have homosexual relations and promotes homosexuality, which the US considers a gross human rights violation.
