With attention turned towards the renewal of the African Growth & Opportunity Act
(AGOA), some have called for South Africa to be graduated from the duty preference
program because of its well-developed infrastructure and labor force. Some have also
raised the issue of certain non-tariff barriers said to exist that prevent U.S. companies
from entering the South African market.

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Recently, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) held hearings and invited comments on
AGOA in relation to four investigations covering: (1) AGOA trade and investment performance; (2) the
economic effects of providing duty-free treatment to AGOA-eligible countries; (3) possible changes to
AGOA’s rules of origin to promote regional integration and to increase exports to the U.S.; and 4) the
impact of EU’s free trade agreement with South Africa on U.S. exports.