Africa and The Middle East

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expects the U.S. will soon strike a free trade deal with a “properly selected” African country that will become a model for others in the region, he said on Wednesday.

As requested by Lighthizer, the Commission will provide “profiles” of seven countries and assess AGOA.

Qatar's World Trade Organization challenge of a boycott of its goods and services implemented by three of its neighbors is unlikely to move the WTO to rule on the limits of its national security exception because most members fear such a ruling would shake the WTO's foundations, according to trade analysts.

Brady: “I urge everyone involved to enhance those efforts to make the most of the next eight years.”

The USTR will head to Togo for an AGOA forum titled “the United States and Africa: Partnering for Prosperity through Trade.”

A group of retail industry trade associations -- as well as the East African Community, Uganda, and the African Cotton & Textile Industry Federation -- are charging that USTR's out-of-cycle review of Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda’s compliance with obligations under the African Growth and Opportunity Act is either unwarranted or should not result in those countries losing their AGOA benefits.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will initiate an out-of-cycle review of the eligibility of Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda for trade preferences provided under the African Growth and Opportunity Act as a result of a petition arguing the countries' ban on imports of secondhand clothing and footwear violates requirements they must meet to receive and maintain AGOA benefits.