Lesotho’s exporters have won a significant break after duty-free access to the United States was restored, a development the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development has welcomed. The shift follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning tariffs that had been imposed on a range of countries under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
For Lesotho’s garment sector, the country’s largest manufacturing industry, the ruling offers immediate breathing room after months of anxiety. The industry, which depends heavily on access to U.S. markets and employs more than 30,000 people, had cautioned that the broad levies could force factories to shut their doors and trigger widespread job losses.
The relief, however, does not remove a larger question hanging over the sector. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the trade arrangement that allows eligible African countries to export to the U.S. market duty-free, is due to lapse on 31 December 2026 unless Congress renews it.
