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- Title
STRENGTHENING US TRADE RELATIONS WITH SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
- Authors
Chukwumerije, Okezie
- Abstract
Signed in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) remains the cornerstone of US trade relations with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This Article suggests that recent economic and political realities clearly demonstrate that the original premise behind the AGOA—that trade preferences alone are sufficient to bolster economic and trade relationships between the United States and SSA—is deeply flawed. The AGOA has not been effective in significantly boosting US-SSA trade, partly because it does not include a coordinated mechanism for assisting SSA countries to address the genuine problems preventing them from improving their trade capacity. This Article suggests that the idea and goals behind the AGOA are still within reach and that the United States can still play a crucial role in shaping the evolving business and investment climate in SSA by building deeper trade relations with the region. The United States’ ability to do so, however, will require a broadening of its approach beyond mere trade preferences. This Article argues for a more coordinated US trade policy toward SSA that focuses not just on improving market access but also on assisting SSA countries in tackling the trade capacity and governance constraints that have limited their export competitiveness. By revamping its SSA trade policy, the United States would be better positioned to accomplish its goals of strengthening economic relations with the region and fostering the region’s economic and political development, thereby contributing to the realization of the region’s potential as an emerging frontier of economic growth.
- Subjects
SUB-Saharan Africa; UNITED States; INTERNATIONAL economic relations -- Law &; legislation; INTERNATIONAL economic relations; POLITICAL development; ECONOMIC development; INTERNATIONAL relations
- Publication
UCLA Journal of International Law & Foreign Affairs, 2016, Vol 20, Issue 2, p317
- ISSN
1089-2605
- Publication type
Article