The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area

This essay assesses and evaluates the extent to which the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) increased imports from AGOA eligible countries to the United States from 2001 to 2015. The essay then examines how African countries can make the most of the preferences granted under AGOA, arguing th...

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Main Author: William Davis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2017-01-01
Series:AJIL Unbound
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772317000927/type/journal_article
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author William Davis
author_facet William Davis
author_sort William Davis
collection DOAJ
description This essay assesses and evaluates the extent to which the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) increased imports from AGOA eligible countries to the United States from 2001 to 2015. The essay then examines how African countries can make the most of the preferences granted under AGOA, arguing that AGOA national utilization strategies have proven successful. In the final part, the essay explores options for future U.S.-Africa trade relations after the AGOA expires in 2025, proposing approaches that would best support African development. In this regard, this essay argues that, since Congress is unlikely to renew AGOA in its current form and since AGOA will likely be replaced with an arrangement requiring some degree of reciprocity, it will be very important for (1) the African Union's Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) to be implemented before any new U.S.-Africa trading arrangement comes into force and (2) for negotiations for any future U.S.-Africa trading arrangement not to mimic the negotiations conducted for the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.
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spelling doaj.art-62909e91461747c9992bc3a03a1b19c32023-03-09T12:27:10ZengCambridge University PressAJIL Unbound2398-77232017-01-0111137738310.1017/aju.2017.92The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade AreaWilliam Davis0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4781-5368Macroeconomic Policy Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).This essay assesses and evaluates the extent to which the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) increased imports from AGOA eligible countries to the United States from 2001 to 2015. The essay then examines how African countries can make the most of the preferences granted under AGOA, arguing that AGOA national utilization strategies have proven successful. In the final part, the essay explores options for future U.S.-Africa trade relations after the AGOA expires in 2025, proposing approaches that would best support African development. In this regard, this essay argues that, since Congress is unlikely to renew AGOA in its current form and since AGOA will likely be replaced with an arrangement requiring some degree of reciprocity, it will be very important for (1) the African Union's Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) to be implemented before any new U.S.-Africa trading arrangement comes into force and (2) for negotiations for any future U.S.-Africa trading arrangement not to mimic the negotiations conducted for the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772317000927/type/journal_article
spellingShingle William Davis
The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
AJIL Unbound
title The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
title_full The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
title_fullStr The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
title_full_unstemmed The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
title_short The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the African Continental Free Trade Area
title_sort african growth and opportunity act and the african continental free trade area
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772317000927/type/journal_article
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