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The White House announced that the United States will exclude Burkina Faso from the trade agreement due to its failure to return to democracy. The country has witnessed two military coups in the country since early 2022.
The White House announced that the United States will exclude Burkina Faso from the trade agreement due to its failure to return to democracy. The country has witnessed two military coups since early 2022.
Explaining the US decision, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a letter sent to the U.S. Congress that Burkina Faso has neither established nor made any progress toward establishing, respect for the rule of law and political pluralism, which are necessary elements of the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) program. The exclusion of Burkina Faso will come into effect from January 1 next year. AGOA, which was launched in 2000 revises the list of beneficiaries annually. The Agreement allows reduced import taxes for African products subject to conditions being met concerning human rights, good governance, or worker protection.
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In a statement, U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai said that to be part of the Programme, Burkina Faso has to make the necessary decisions to meet the terms of the agreement and return of democracy. Tai offered to provide Burkina Faso with a clear roadmap to reintegrate into the program and the US administration will support the efforts.
