AGOA III: Amendment to the African Growth and Opportunity Act

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Economics; Trade

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Abstract:

On July 13, 2004, the "AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004" was signed by the President and became P.L.108-274. This legislation amends the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA; P.L. 106-200, Title I), extending it to 2015. AGOA seeks to spur economic development and help integrate Africa into the world trading system by granting trade preferences and other benefits to Sub-Saharan African countries that meet certain criteria relating to market reform and human rights. Congress first amended AGOA in 2002 (P.L. 107-210) by increasing a cap on duty-free apparel imports and clarifying other provisions. The new AGOA amendment, commonly referred to as "AGOA III," extends the legislation beyond its current expiration date of 2008 and otherwise amends existing AGOA provisions. For further information on AGOA, see CRS Report RL31772, U.S. Trade and Investment Relationship with Sub- Saharan Africa: The African Growth and Opportunity Act and Beyond. This report will be updated as needed.