by: Andrea Spinelli Barrile | April 16, 2024
A bipartisan group of American senators has presented to Congress a bill relating to the extension of the Agoa program (African growth and opportunity act), a trade preferences regime granted since 2000 by the United States to sub-Saharan African countries, until to 2041. Reuters reports it.
The bill was presented by Senators Chris Coons, Democrat, and James Risch, Republican, members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Five other senators from all parties, Dick Durbin, Michael Bennet, Chris van Hollen, Todd Young and Mike Rounds, also sponsored the bill.
An aide to Senator Chris Coons told the media, quoted by Reuters, that the bill provides for the renewal of Agoa, which expires in 2025, for another 16 years, while allowing African countries that could become high income earner to continue to benefit from this plan for five years, instead of just the current year.
Under the bill, countries’ eligibility would be reviewed every two years instead of once a year.
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