A Nation Must Think Before it Acts
After AGOA – What Are Africa’s Next Steps?
A nation must think before it acts.
After AGOA – What Are Africa’s Next Steps?
November 19, 2025 | 10:30 am to 11:30 am | Africa Program
About the Event
The US government shut down on September 30, 2025, and the US Congress failed to extend the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Despite expressing support for extending AGOA, the administration took executive action. What has been the impact so far of this failure on Africa-US trade? What are the complexities of reauthorizing AGOA, particularly in the intensely partisan environment that exists currently in the US? Those African nations that benefited from AGOA but no longer have preferential access to the American market, and in many cases face punishing tariffs on their imports, must now seek alternate ways to improve their national economies. Join FPRI Trustee and Chair of the Africa Program, Ambassador (ret) Charles Ray, for a virtual discussion on these and other questions, and the way forward for African economies in the new non-AGOA reality.
This event is co-sponsored by the African Center for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) at the University of Witwatersrand.
FPRI is happy to provide this event free of charge thanks to the generous support of our members, partners, and event attendees. If you are not currently a member, the suggested donation is $25.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our events coordinator, Christine Datesman at cdatesman@fpri.org
Speakers
Elizabeth Hoffman - Elizabeth Hoffman is the Executive Director for North America at the ONE Campaign, a global advocacy organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
Beru Lilako - Beru Lilako is a trade and economic policy specialist with an interest in regional integration, investment, digital trade, political economy, and green industrial development.
Witney Schneidman - Witney Schneidman is a nonresident senior fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings.
Kenneth Simiyu - Kenneth Simiyu has over 23 years of progressive leadership experience in designing, grant-making, and managing the implementation of Science, Technology, and Innovation programs globally.
Bob Wekesa - Bob is Partnerships and Research coordinator and Acting Director at the African Centre for the Study of the United States, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Charles A. Ray - Charles A. Ray, a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Africa Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, served as US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. ; Moderator
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