Taking stock of America’s flagship trade programme for Africa
AGOA has created jobs, but has not lived up to expectations
Pankaj bedi strides through his factory on the edge of Nairobi, past clattering sewing machines, bustling workers and boxes of jeans. None of this would be here, he says, were it not for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The landmark trade policy was introduced by Bill Clinton in 2000, granting duty-free access for more than 6,000 products from sub-Saharan Africa. Two years later, Mr Bedi opened United Aryan, his clothing business in Kenya. He now employs 14,000 people.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Trade mission”
From the February 11th 2023 edition
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