Overview

• The lapse ends duty-free access for roughly 1,800 products from about three dozen sub-Saharan countries, unwinding a cornerstone of U.S.–Africa trade since 2000.
• Trump administration tariffs introduced earlier this year are now fully biting, with levies reported in the 10%–30% range and country-specific hits including about 47% on Madagascar vanilla and textiles and 15% on Lesotho jeans.
• Estimates cited by unions and researchers warn of roughly 300,000 direct jobs and up to 1 million or more indirect jobs at risk across sectors such as apparel, horticulture, autos and minerals.
• Companies have begun cutting staff, with Kenyan apparel maker United Aryan saying it will shed about 1,000 positions as costs rise and orders face new duties.
• A White House official says the administration supports a one-year renewal, but Reuters reports the most viable path is attaching it to a U.S. stopgap funding bill, while African governments pursue bilateral deals, AfCFTA implementation and alternative markets as U.S. industry groups warn of supply-chain disruption.