WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The ONE Campaign applauds the Senate’s reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through 2025. Since its initial passage in 2000, this bipartisan trade preference program has played an integral role in creating economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as supporting nearly 120,000 jobs in the United States.

Tom Hart, U.S. Executive Director of ONE, says:

“On behalf of ONE’s 6 million members, we thank Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Ed Markey (D-MA) for spearheading the effort to renew AGOA—an essential first step to developing a more full and reciprocal trading relationship between the US and Africa.

Today, economic growth in Africa is on the rise, a new middle class is forming, and the possibilities are endless. By breathing new life into AGOA, the US is pursuing a smart trade strategy with a region that contains the fastest growing economies in the world. As our trade relationship expands, new jobs will be created and new opportunities will emerge—in the US and Africa both. This is a win-win.”

AGOA allows 39 eligible countries in Africa to export more than 6,000 items duty-free into the United States and provides essential trade-capacity building assistance to our partners in the region. Under AGOA, US imports from sub-Saharan Africa have more than tripled, reaching $26.7 billion in 2014, while U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa have quadrupled to $24 billion.