US excludes Burkina Faso from duty-free trade

Ottawa The West African Burkina Faso due to political uncertainty will no longer benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement. The administration of the US President Joe Biden was “deeply concerned by the unconstitutional change of government” in Burkina Faso, the US Trade Representative’s Office (USTR) said on Sunday. The country will receive “clear guidelines” for rejoining the trade program and the Washington government will work with the Burkinabe government.

AGOA grants African countries duty-free access to the United States. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Parts of the country are under the control of jihadists with ties to terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda.