Mereja.Forum

Ethiopia’s bid to rejoin AGOA falls short, again, as US maintains suspension in latest announcement

Ethiopia’s bid to rejoin the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has once again fell short as the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) maintained Ethiopia in the list of suspended countries in its latest announcement on 21 December.

The announcement confirmed that the list of African countries eligible for AGOA will remain unchanged for the upcoming fiscal year, preserving the agreement’s benefits for 32 eligible African countries.

Despite discussions by American trade officials in July to explore potential amendments to AGOA, the latest decision leaves Ethiopia’s suspension intact. Initially excluded due to the two years brutal war in the Tigray region and the rampant human rights violations that ensued, Ethiopia’s repeated efforts to regain AGOA eligibility have yet to succeed, marking another setback in its bid to rejoin the trade program.

https://addisstandard.com/ethiopias-bid ... ouncement/

This is very bad news for the illiterate Galla prime minister.

U.S. Terminates AGOA Trade Preference Program for Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea


WASHINGTON – The United States terminated Ethiopia from the AGOA trade preference program due to actions taken by the governments in violation of the AGOA Statute. The Biden-Harris Administration is deeply concerned by the gross violations of internationally recognized human rights being perpetrated by the Government of Ethiopia and other parties amid the widening conflict in northern Ethiopia. Each country has clear benchmarks for a pathway toward reinstatement and the Administration will work with their governments to achieve that objective.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-office ... and-guinea

An 8 year old video showing how AGOA was helping Ethiopian exports manufacturing to grow to billions or dollars worth industry before Abiy assumed the office of the PM and destroyed every growth opportunity and turned the country into a land of multiple civil wars.

It is interesting how the guy from Bahir Dar moved to Mekelle and was saying that the graduates in that year were more fortunate than him as they don't need to spend 6 months without a job after graduation. Tell that to the current graduates in Abiy's Ethiopia.

Abiy was offered the continuation of AGOA if he stopped his atrocities against Tigrayans. He chose to continue his genocidal war and lose AGOA as a consequence.

Abiy cannot cheat his way but has to work for genuine reconcilation in Tigray , Amhara & Oromia. He has to also radically change the democratic space and minimize corruption.