WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/795 
2 June 2010 
 (10-3036) 
General Council 
29-30 July 2010 Original:   English 
 
 
 
UNITED STATES – AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT 
 
Report of the Government of the United States for the Year 2009  
under the Decision of 27 May 20091 
  
 The following communication, dated 31 May 2010, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the United States. 
  
_______________ 
  
1. Introduction 
1. On 27 May 2009, the United States was granted a waiver (WT/L/754) of its obligations under 
paragraph 1 of Article I and para graphs 1 and 2 of Article XIII of the GATT 1994 to the extent 
necessary to permit the United States Government to provide duty-free treatment to eligible products 
of certain sub-Saharan African countries as authori zed by the provisions of the African Growth and 
Opportunity Act (AGOA) without being required to extend the same duty -free treatment to like 
products of any other Member.  This  waiver expires 30 September 2015. 
2. Under the terms of this waiver, the United States is required to  submit to the General Council 
an annual report on the implementation of the tr ade-related provisions of AGOA with a view to 
facilitating the annual review provided for in paragraph 4 of Article IX  of the WTO Agreement.  This 
report covers calendar year 2009. 
2. Duty Free Treatment under AGOA 
3. AGOA was enacted on 18 May 2000.  Section 506A of the Trade Act of 1974, as added by 
section 111 of AGOA, authorizes the President of the United States to provide duty-free treatment to certain products from eligible sub-Saharan African beneficiary countries, in addition to the products 
designated for duty-free treatment for these countries under the US Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP).  The President exercised this au thority on 18 December 2000, when he designated 
1,835 products as eligible for duty-free treatment  in the United States when originating from an 
AGOA beneficiary country.  Section 506B of th e Trade Act of 1974, as added by section 114 of 
AGOA, as amended, extends preferences for th ese products and for GSP products to AGOA 
beneficiary countries through 30 September 2015.
2 
4. Section 506A of the Trade Act of 1974 also au thorizes the President of the United States to 
designate certain sub-Saharan African countri es as eligible for benefits under AGOA.  
                                                      
1 WT/L/754 
2 US GSP preferences for other developing c ountries are currently set to terminate on 
31 December 2010 WT/L/795 
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  On 23 December 2009, the President designated Mauritania as an AGOA be neficiary country and 
terminated, effective 1 January 2010, the designati ons of Guinea, Madagasc ar, and Niger as AGOA 
beneficiary countries.  As of 8 May 2010, 38 sub- Saharan African countries were eligible for AGOA 
trade benefits.  These countries are:  Angola, Be nin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, 
Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, 
Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, 
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda , Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, 
Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. 
5. Section 112(a) of AGOA provides duty-free treatme nt for certain textile and apparel products 
from beneficiary countries that adopt certain procedures to prevent illegal transhipment.
3  
Through 30 September 2012, section 112(c) of AGOA provides duty-free treatment for apparel made 
in “lesser developed” beneficiary countries regardless of  the source of the fabric or yarn, subject to an 
annual quantitative limit.4   
3. AGOA Performance 
6. Since its inception in 2000, the AGOA program  has helped African beneficiary countries to 
expand and diversify their exports to the United States.  By providing new market opportunities for 
African exports – especially of non-traditional and higher-value products – AGOA has helped African 
firms become more competitive internationally, thereby bolstering African economic growth and 
helping to alleviate poverty in one of the poorest re gions of the world.  In 2009, over 95 per cent of 
US imports from AGOA-eligible countries entered the United States duty-free, under AGOA, GSP, or 
other zero-tariff provisions. 
7. From 2001, the first full year of AGOA, to  2008, US imports under AGOA (not including its 
related GSP provisions) increased from $7.6 b illion to $56.4 billion.  Although AGOA imports 
decreased by 50 per cent from 2008 to 2009, due in larg e part to the global financial crisis, the first 
quarter of 2010 witnessed a significant rebound in AGO A imports, led by increased imports of oil 
under AGOA. 
8. Mineral fuels (HTS chapter 27) accounted for 91 per cent of US imports under AGOA in 
2009.  Other leading categories of US imports in clude apparel (HTS chapte rs 61 and 62), vehicles 
(HTS chapter 87), iron and steel products (HTS chapte r 72), edible fruits and nuts (HTS chapter 8), 
beverages and spirits (HTS chapter 22), chemi cals (HTS chapter 38), and processed agricultural 
products (HTS chapters 20 and 21).  Non-oil impor ts under AGOA more than tripled from 2001 to 
2009, rising from $752 million in 20 01 to $2.6 billion in 2009.   
9. Apparel was the leading AGOA non-oil product sector for most of the period 2001-2009.  
Apparel represented 32 per cent to 69 per cent of  total non-oil AGOA imports during this period.  
Imports of apparel under AGOA rose from $356 milli on in 2001 to $914 million in 2009.  AGOA 
apparel imports have decreased in recent years, re flecting sharpening global competition in this sector.  
Eighteen AGOA beneficiary countries have shippe d apparel products to the United States under 
AGOA since 2001, led by Lesotho, Madagasca r, Kenya, Mauritius, and Swaziland.   
                                                      
3 As of 1 May 2010, the beneficiary countries elig ible for duty-free treatment of certain textile and 
apparel products were: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Ethiopia, The Gambia, 
Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Moza mbique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra 
Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. 
4 Of the countries listed in footnote 3, only South Africa has not been designated a “lesser developed” 
beneficiary country for the purposes of AGOA.   WT/L/795 
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  10. The second leading non-oil sector for the period 2001-2009 was vehicles and vehicles parts.   
Imports under AGOA in this product sector reached  a high of $1.8 billion in 2008, and totalled 
$1.4 billion in 2009. 
11. Among other AGOA imports, the following are among the products that witnessed significant 
growth from 2006 to 2009:  pineapple and citrus juices, some varieties of fresh fruit, some footwear, 
certain cereals, edible ice, shelled macadamia and other nuts, skin-care preparations, certain hides and 
skins, some types of grape wine, essential oils of le mon, sport fishing supplies, and sweetheart roses.   
12. The US Government has provided substantia l trade-related technical assistance to AGOA 
beneficiary countries to help them make the most  of the trade opportunities available under AGOA.  
For example, under the five-year, $200 million African Global Competitiveness Initiative, the US 
Agency for International Development operates fo ur Regional Hubs for Global Competitiveness – in 
Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal – that as sist African governments and businesses to identify 
and develop market opportunities in the United Stat es for African products, especially value-added 
and non-traditional products such as those covere d under AGOA and GSP.  In 2009 alone, the Hubs 
facilitated over $71 million in transacti ons in the textile and apparel, specialty food, cut flowers, and 
other product categories.  
13. Statistical annexes are provided to present a detailed description of the trade aspects of the 
AGOA program from 2001 to 2009. 
 
 
______________ 
 
 
Table 1 provides summary information on US imports for consumption under AGOA from 2001 to 
2009. 
 
Table 2  provides information on leading US imports for consumption under AGOA provisions from 
2007 to 2009.  Table 3  provides information on US trade with AGOA countries from 2001 to 2009.  
  WT/L/795 
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5 The following countries were not eligible for AGOA benefits in the corresponding years: Angola (2000-2003), Burkina Faso (2000 -2004), Burundi (2000-2002), 
Central African Republic (2000-2009), Comoros (2000-2007), Congo (DROC) (2000-2002), Cote d’Ivoire (2000-2002 & 2005-2009), Eri trea (2004-2009), Gambia (2000-2002), 
Liberia (2000-2006), Mauritania (2006 & 2009), and Togo (2000-2007). 
 Note:  The following countries that were eligible for AGOA for at  least part of the period 2001-2009 did not register any trade  under AGOA provisions during this 
period:  Benin, Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea, The Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Togo.
 TABLE 1 
US Imports for Consumption under AGOA Provisions, by Sources, 2001-20095 
 
Source 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
 Value (1,000 dollars) 
Nigeria 5,688,102 5,409,176 9,353,914 15,415,913 22,460,052 25,823,091 30,137,133 35,366,204 17,228,232 
Angola 0 0 0 1,249,211 4,216,469 4,532,941 4,767,934 9,794,965 4,225,139 
South Africa 417,256 789,552 998,420 832,441 455,316 717,439 1,076,985 2,427,690 1,642,893 
Rep.of Congo  128,746 103,808 337,899 342,248 571,419 774,536 1,604,868 2,639,141 1,471,657 
Gabon 938,695 1,145,478 1,177,431 1,919,407 2,487,326 1,290,031 1,673,605 2,143,355 1,210,007 
Chad 0 0 14,438 293,801 1,028,954 1,531,433 1,487,552 2,309,230 1,190,403 
Lesotho 129,523 317,803 372,544 447,622 388,344 384,452 379,592 338,797 277,046 
Madagascar 92,145 75,838 186,187 314,842 273,193 229,541 281,443 277,051 210,004 
Kenya 55,090 124,337 180,599 279,898 272,131 265,051 250,352 252,243 204,982 
Mauritius 38,899 106,528 135,111 147,816 146,807 145,843 112,347 97,291 98,747 
Cameroon 36,731 115,542 146,746 242,725 100,910 152,394 169,173 441,316 96,750 
Swaziland 8,314 74,312 127,005 175,927 160,462 135,425 135,838 125,387 94,718 
Malawi 12,057 41,320 35,837 35,052 32,375 29,901 27,568 26,680 39,734 
Dem. Rep. of 
Congo  0 0 0 0 0 0 39,478 65,234 35,652 
Botswana 0 3,707 6,324 20,138 30,044 28,225 31,331 15,803 12,362 
Ethiopia 215 1,319 1,772 3,532 3,646 5,000 4,741 9,392 6,723 
Ghana 33,092 23,001 29,156 63,170 49,927 34,874 56,151 31,494 2,303 
Senegal 0 0 11 7 9 14,239 14 10,229 1,585 
Tanzania 16 639 1,110 2,984 2,812 3,022 2,815 1,527 1,006 
Uganda 0 13 1,442 4,022 4,854 1,490 1,189 473 222 
Rwanda 265 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 63  
   WT/L/795
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 Source 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
 Value (1,000 dollars)  
Mali 0 1 0 3 0 3 9 4 62 
Djibouti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 
Zambia 10 52 0 22 0 8 73 5 7 
Niger 0 0 2 0 24 1 27 1 3 
Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 1 1 
Mozambique 0 186 2,516 2,151 2,828 940 825 129 0 
Namibia 0 1,543 32,132 75,904 53,058 33,019 28,579 6 0 
Cape Verde 0 0 2,452 2,902 2,115 85 0 0 0 
Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 
Cote d'Ivoire 0 27,265 46,361 88,601 0 0 0 0 0 
Guinea-Bissau 0 0 0 26,131 0 0 0 0 0 
Sierra Leone 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 
Total 7,579,158 8,361,422 13,189,410 21,986,472 32,743 ,077 36,132,990 42,269,649 56,373,651 28,050,318  
  WT/L/795 
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TABLE 1 - CONTINUED 
US Imports for Consumption under AGOA Provisions, by Sources, 2001-2009  
 
Source 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
 Per cent of total 
Nigeria 75.05 64.69 70.92 70.12 68.59 71.47 71.30 62.74 61.42 
Angola 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.68 12.88 12.55 11.28 17.38 15.06 
South Africa 5.51 9.44 7.57 3.79 1.39 1.99 2.55 4.31 5.86 
Congo (ROC) 1.70 1.24 2.56 1.56 1.75 2.14 3.80 4.68 5.25 
Gabon 12.39 13.70 8.93 8.73 7.60 3.57 3.96 3.80 4.31 
Chad 0.00 0.00 0.11 1.34 3.14 4.24 3.52 4.10 4.24 
Lesotho 1.71 3.80 2.82 2.04 1.19 1.06 0.90 0.60 0.99 
Madagascar 1.22 0.91 1.41 1.43 0.83 0.64 0.67 0.49 0.75 
Kenya 0.73 1.49 1.37 1.27 0.83 0.73 0.59 0.45 0.73 
Mauritius 0.51 1.27 1.02 0.67 0.45 0.40 0.27 0.17 0.35 
Cameroon 0.48 1.38 1.11 1.10 0.31 0.42 0.40 0.78 0.34 
Swaziland 0.11 0.89 0.96 0.80 0.49 0.37 0.32 0.22 0.34 
Malawi 0.16 0.49 0.27 0.16 0.10 0.08 0.07 0.05 0.14 
Congo (DROC) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.12 0.13 
Botswana 0.00 0.04 0.05 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.03 0.04 
Ethiopia (6) 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 
Ghana 0.44 0.28 0.22 0.29 0.15 0.10 0.13 0.06 0.01 
Senegal 0.00 (6) (6) (6) (6) 0.04 (6) 0.02 0.01 
Tanzania (6) 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 (6) (6) 
Uganda 0.00 (6) 0.01 0.02 0.01 (6) (6) (6) (6) 
Rwanda (6) 0.00 0.00 0.00 (6) 0.00 0.00 (6) (6) 
Mali 0.00 (6) (6) (6) 0.00 (6) (6) (6) (6) 
Djibouti 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (6) 
Zambia (6) (6) 0.00 (6) 0.00 (6) (6) (6) (6) 
Niger 0.00 (6) (6) 0.00 (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) 
Guinea 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (6) (6) (6) 
Mozambique 0.00 (6) 0.02 0.01 0.01 (6) (6) (6) 0.00 
Namibia 0.00 0.02 0.24 0.35 0.16 0.09 0.07 (6) 0.00 
                                                      
6 Less than 0.005 per cent.  
   WT/L/795
 Page 7Source 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
 Per cent of total  
Cape Verde 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.01 0.01 (6) 0.00 0.00 0.00 
Burkina Faso 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (6) 0.00 0.00 0.00 
Cote d'Ivoire 0.00 0.33 0.35 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
Guinea-Bissau 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
Sierra Leone 0.00 0.00 0.00 (6) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
Total 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 
Note:  Because of rounding, figures may not add to totals given. 
Source :  Compiled from official statistics of the US International Trade Commission. 
 
 WT/L/795 
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TABLE 2  
Leading US Imports for Consumption under AGOA Provisions, 2007-2009 
HTS number Description 2007 2008 2009 Change 
2008-2009 
  Value (millions of dollars) Per cent 
Mineral fuels and oils (HTS chapter 27) 
2709.00.20 Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, 
crude, testing 25 degrees A.P.I. or more 37,117 48,518 23,395 -51.8 
2709.00.10 Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, 
crude, testing under 25 degrees A.P.I. 1,772 2,732 1,550 -43.3 
2710.11.25 Naphthas (exc. motor fuel/mtr fuel blend. stock) fr 
petroleum oils & bitumin minerals (o/than crude) 
or preps 70%+ by wt. fr petroleum oils 493 659 261 -60.4 
2710.19.05 Distillate and residual fuel oil (including blends) 
derived from petroleum or oils from bituminous 
minerals, testing under 25 degrees A.P.I. 665 751 165 -78.0 
2710.11.45 Light oil mixt. of hydrocarbons fr petro oils & 
bitum min(o/than crude) or prep 70%+ wt. fr petro oils, nesoi,n/o 50% any single hydrocarbon 20 50 87 72.1 
 Total of above 40,067 52,710 25,458 -51.7 
 All other 101 90 1 -99.0 
  Total for mineral fuels and oils 40,168 52,800 25,459 -51.8 
Textiles and apparel (HTS chapters 50-63) 
6204.62.40 Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
not knitted or crocheted, of cotton, nesoi 254 257 191 -25.5 
6203.42.40 Men's or boys' trousers and shorts, not bibs, not 
knitted or crocheted, of cotton, not containing 15% 
or more by weight of down, etc 201 153 118 -22.8 
6110.20.20 Sweaters, pullovers and similar articles, knitted or 
crocheted, of cotton, nesoi 225 162 111 -31.0 
6205.20.20 Men's or boys' shirts, not knitted or crocheted, of 
cotton, nesoi 80 81 70 -13.8 
6110.30.30 Sweaters, pullovers and similar articles, knitted or 
crocheted, of manmade fibers, nesoi 66 76 69 -8.3 
6104.62.20 Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
knitted or crocheted, of cotton 71 74 67 -9.9 
6105.10.00 Men's or boys' shirts, knitted or crocheted, of 
cotton 66 46 38 -17.9 
6103.43.15 Men's or boys' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
knitted or crocheted, of synthetic fibers, nesoi 21 24 30 24.6 
6204.63.35 Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
not knitted or crocheted, of synthetic fibers, nesoi 24 25 26 2.6 
6109.10.00 T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, 
knitted or crocheted, of cotton 50 33 19 -42.3 
 Total of above 1,059 931 740 -20.5 
 All other 208 206 174 -15.6 
  Total for textiles and apparel 1,267 1,137 914 -19.6 
Agriculture (HTS chapters 1-24) 
0805.10.00 Oranges, fresh or dried 38 34 31 -8.6 
2401.20.85 Tobacco, partly or  wholly stemmed/stripped, 
threshed or similarly processed, not from cigar 
leaf, described in addl US note 5 to chap 24 4 6 25 291.6 
2204.21.50 Wine other than Tokay (not carbonated), not over 
14% alcohol, in containers not over 2 liters 28 25 23 -8.7 
2207.10.60 Undenatured ethyl alcohol of 80 per cent vol. 
alcohol or higher, for nonbeverage purposes 26 23 17 -26.0 
0802.60.80 Macadamia nuts, shelled 12 15 17 14.1  WT/L/795 
 Page 9 
 
 
        
HTS number Description 2007 2008 2009 Change 
2008-2009 
  Value (millions of dollars) Per cent 
2105.00.50 Edible ice, except ice cream, not described in add 
US note 1 to Ch. 4, nesoi 3 6 8 31.9 
0805.20.00 Mandarins (including tangerines and satsumas); 
clementines, wilkings and similar citrus hybrids, 
fresh or dried 6 6 7 17.5 
2009.31.60 Citrus juice of any si ngle citrus fruit (other than 
orange, grapefruit or lime), of a Brix value not 
exceeding 20, concentrated, unfermented 2 5 7 25.8 
2401.20.83 Tobacco, partly or  wholly stemmed/stripped, 
threshed or similarly processed, not from cigar 
leaf, not oriental or turkish, not for cigarett 3 6 4 -28.2 
2009.49.40 Pineapple juice, of  a Brix value exceeding 20, 
concentrated (in degree of concentration greater 
than 3.5) 0 2 4 151.9 
 Total of above 121 127 142 11.5 
 All other 33 34 26 -25.4 
  Total for agriculture 154 162 168 3.7 
All other products (HTS chapters 25-26, 28-49, and 64-99) 
8703.23.00 Mtr cars & o/mtr. vehicles for transport of persons, 
w/spark-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine 
w/cyl. cap. o/1500 cc n/o 3000 cc 438 1,553 1,310 -15.7 
7202.11.50 Ferromanganese containing by weight more than 4 
per cent of carbon 150 367 87 -76.2 
8703.24.00 Mtr cars & o/mtr. vehicles for transport of persons, 
w/spark-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine 
w/cyl. cap. o/ 3000 cc 0 251 53 -78.9 
3823.70.60 Industrial fatty alcohols other than derived from 
fatty substances of animal or vegetable origin 48 74 38 -48.4 
8111.00.47 Unwrought manganese flake containing at least 
99.5 per cent by weight manganese 3 3 6 119.1 
8707.10.00 Bodies (including cabs), for mtr. vehicles for 
transport of persons of heading 8703 13 7 3 -52.9 
8708.92.50 Pts. & access. of mtr.  vehic. of 8701, nesoi, and 
8702-8705, mufflers & exhaust pipes 16 10 3 -69.3 
2616.90.00 Precious metal (other than silver) ores and 
concentrates 0 0 2              N/A 
3301.13.00 Essential oils of lemon 2 3 2 -41.9 
9507.90.70 Artificial baits and flies 1 1 1 -2.7 
 Total of above 672 2,269 1,505 -33.7 
 All other 9 6 5 -21.0 
  Total for all other products 680 2,275 1,510 -33.6 
      
  Grand total 42,270 56,374 28,050 -50.2 
Note:  Because of rounding, figures may not add to totals given.  The abbreviation “nesoi” stands for “not elsewhere 
specified or otherwise included.” 
Source :  Compiled from official statistics of the US International Trade Commission. 
 
 WT/L/795 
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TABLE 3 
US Goods Trade with AGOA Beneficiary Countries, 2001-20097 
 
Year US exports8 Share of US 
exports to the 
world US imports9 Share of US 
imports from 
the world US trade 
balance 
 Million dollars Per cent Million dollars Per cent Million dollars 
2001 6,615.7 1.0 20,570.6 1.8 -13,954.9 
2002 5,717.9 0.9 17,534.6 1.5 -11,816.7 
2003 6,254.7 1.0 24,482.2 2.0 -18,227.5 
2004 7,897.2 1.1 34,522.2 2.4 -26,625.0 
2005 9,514.8 1.2 48,253.9 2.9 -38,739.0 
2006 11,014.8 1.2 56,934.1 3.1 -45,919.3 
2007 13,434.7 1.3 65,126.5 3.4 -51,691.9 
2008 17,524.4 1.5 82,521.7 3.9 -64,997.3 
2009 14,167.3 1.5 44,735.5 2.9 -30,568.2 
Source :  Compiled from official statistics of the US International Trade Commission. 
 
 
__________  
                                                      
7 Includes US imports for 2001 to 2009 for all countries that were eligible for AGOA for one or more 
years during that period.   
8 Domestic exports, f.a.s. basis. 
9 Imports for consumption, customs value.