Overview

• The African Growth and Opportunity Act expires on Sept. 30 with no public commitment from Washington to renew the program.
• Lesotho’s trade minister said congressional tax-writing leaders promised a one-year extension by November or December, though the program will lapse before then.
• Shelile reported U.S. officials would consider pausing overlapping reciprocal or Most Favoured Nation tariffs during the interim as Lesotho warns of effective rates near 31% if benefits lapse.
• Kenya’s United Aryan jeans manufacturer said it will begin firing hundreds of workers this week and warned job cuts could reach 1,000 as orders shift under higher duties.
• Kenyan President William Ruto is pressing for at least a five-year renewal and says Nairobi expects to finalize a bilateral trade deal with the United States by year-end.