Tracking the U.S. Reciprocal Tariff Rates for All African Countries

CSIS compiled the most up-to-date bilateral trade data with African countries in this interactive table, as the Trump administration focuses its trade negotiations on major economies like the European Union and South Korea—leaving no African country with a U.S. trade deal.

1. The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) hangs in the balance: President Donald Trump has announced adjusted reciprocal tariff rates for most of the United States’ trading partners set to go into effect by August 7. Of the 69 trading partners named in the executive order modifying reciprocal tariff rates, 22 are African countries. If these tariffs go into effect, it will functionally be the end of the AGOA, a U.S. trade program that provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for eligible Sub-Saharan African countries. AGOA was signed into law in 2000 and is set to expire on September 30, 2025.
2. A sigh of relief for Lesotho: After initially announcing a 50 percent tariff on imports from Lesotho in April, which was the highest proposed U.S. tariff for any country in the world, the new duty on imports has decreased to 15 percent. Lesotho is one of the smallest economies in Africa and one of the biggest beneficiaries of AGOA. Garments and textiles, two of the duty-free goods under AGOA, have has spurred a thriving garment industry that has become the largest private sector employer in Lesotho and accounts for nearly 20 percent of its GDP. In 2024, Lesotho exported $237 million worth of goods to the United States, while only importing $2.8 million in goods from the United States. Like many developing countries, working class Basotho cannot afford to purchase expensive U.S. made goods, exacerbating the trade deficit between the two countries.
3. South Africa braces for impact:  South Africa, the largest economy in Africa, was eager to negotiate down from a 30 percent duty on its exports to the United States. Despite sending several delegations to Washington to negotiate a trade deal and a (contentious) White House visit by President Ramaphosa, South Africa remains in President Trump’s crosshairs. The 30 percent duty on South African imports is expected to trigger widespread job losses in the nation’s export sectors, particularly its agriculture and automotive industries, which exported duty-free goods to the United States under AGOA.