The media space had been buzzing the news about new U.S. tariff announced by the United States government on April 2nd, in an event tagged by the president as the liberation day. The question for us is how is Africa affected by the new tariff.
Are there some positives for Africa? Will the new tariff which now follows the stoppage of aids to many countries be the catalyst that will wake up the giants in African countries to rise to the responsibility of actually taking care of their citizens.
We have taken time to go beyond the media buzz to list African countries affected by the new U.S. tariff rates and their key export to the USA.
African Countries, Tariff Rates, and Key Exports to the U.S.:
Lesotho: 50%
Exports: Textiles and apparel (e.g., clothing, especially denim and knitwear under AGOA).
Madagascar: 47%
Exports: Textiles and apparel (e.g., shirts, sweaters), vanilla, and precious stones (e.g., sapphires).
Mauritius: 40%
Exports: Textiles and apparel (e.g., shirts, trousers), sugar, and fish products (e.g., tuna).
Botswana: 37%
Exports: Diamonds (rough and polished), beef, and textiles.
Angola: 32%
Exports: Crude oil (majority), diamonds, and natural gas (energy exports may be exempt).
Libya: 31%
Exports: Crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas (energy exports may be exempt).
Algeria: 30%
Exports: Crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products (energy exports may be exempt).
South Africa: 30%
Exports: Platinum, diamonds, cars (e.g., BMW, Mercedes-Benz), and precious metals (e.g., gold).
São Tomé and PrÃncipe: 29%
Exports: Cocoa beans, coffee, and palm oil.
Tunisia: 28%
Exports: Olive oil, electrical machinery (e.g., wiring harnesses), and textiles.
Côte d’Ivoire: 21%
Exports: Cocoa beans, cocoa products (e.g., butter, powder), and rubber.
Namibia: 21%
Exports: Diamonds, uranium, and fish (e.g., hake, horse mackerel).
Zimbabwe: 18%
Exports: Tobacco, precious stones (e.g., diamonds), and ferroalloys.
Malawi: 17%
Exports: Tobacco, tea, and macadamia nuts.
Zambia: 17%
Exports: Copper (refined and ores), cobalt, and tobacco.
Mozambique: 16%
Exports: Aluminum, coal, and titanium ores.
Nigeria: 14%
Exports: Crude oil, natural gas, and cocoa beans (energy exports may be exempt).
Chad: 13%
Exports: Crude oil, gum arabic, and livestock (energy exports may be exempt).
Equatorial Guinea: 13%
Exports: Crude oil, natural gas, and methanol (energy exports may be exempt).
Cameroon: 11%
Exports: Crude oil, cocoa beans, and timber.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 11%
Exports: Copper, cobalt, and crude oil (energy exports may be exempt).
Burundi: 10%
Exports: Coffee, tea, and gold.
Cabo Verde: 10%
Exports: Fish (e.g., tuna), apparel, and footwear.
Central African Republic: 10%
Exports: Timber, diamonds, and coffee.
Comoros: 10%
Exports: Vanilla, cloves, and essential oils (e.g., ylang-ylang).
Djibouti: 10%
Exports: Coffee (re-exported), hides and skins, and scrap metal.
Egypt: 10%
Exports: Textiles (e.g., cotton apparel), petroleum products, and fertilizers.
Eritrea: 10%
Exports: Gold, copper, and zinc (limited trade data).
Eswatini (Swaziland): 10%
Exports: Sugar, textiles, and citrus fruits.
Ethiopia: 10%
Exports: Coffee, textiles (e.g., apparel), and cut flowers (e.g., roses).
Gabon: 10%
Exports: Crude oil, manganese, and timber (energy exports may be exempt).
Gambia: 10%
Exports: Cashew nuts, fish, and groundnuts.
Ghana: 10%
Exports: Cocoa beans, gold, and crude oil (energy exports may be exempt).
Guinea: 10%
Exports: Bauxite, gold, and diamonds.
Guinea-Bissau: 10%
Exports: Cashew nuts, fish, and timber.
Kenya: 10%
Exports: Textiles (e.g., apparel), coffee, and tea.
Liberia: 10%
Exports: Rubber, iron ore, and gold.
Mali: 10%
Exports: Gold, cotton, and livestock.
Mauritania: 10%
Exports: Iron ore, fish (e.g., octopus), and copper.
Morocco: 10%
Exports: Phosphates, textiles (e.g., apparel), and fish (e.g., sardines).
Republic of the Congo: 10%
Exports: Crude oil, timber, and copper (energy exports may be exempt).
Rwanda: 10%
Exports: Coffee, tea, and tin ores.
Senegal: 10%
Exports: Fish (e.g., tuna), peanuts, and phosphoric acid.
Sierra Leone: 10%
Exports: Diamonds, titanium ores, and cocoa.
South Sudan: 10%
Exports: Crude oil (primary export, may be exempt).
Tanzania: 10%
Exports: Gold, coffee, and cashew nuts.
Togo: 10%
Exports: Cocoa, cotton, and phosphates.
Uganda: 10%
Exports: Coffee, gold, and fish (e.g., Nile perch).
The 10% baseline tariff applies to all countries without exception, including those listed above where no additional reciprocal tariff is specified.
Major oil and energy exporters like Angola, Chad, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo may see exemptions for energy-related exports, potentially softening the impact of these tariffs on their economies.
It clear from the list that most of the exports from Africa to USA are raw materials raising the need for industrialisation.
We need an industrialised Africa that harvests her raw materials and turn them into finished goods with various by products repurposed to other goods.
