President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners —with Nigeria hit with a 14% new tax tariff while other African countries were hard hit. Countries like Lesotho (50%), Madagascar (47%), Botswana (37%), Angola (32%), and South Africa (30%).
Trump said he was placing increased tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency.
The action amounts to a historic tax hike that has sent panic around global markets as countries grapple with what this new tariff means for their already struggling economies. Economists fear this move by President Trump could kickstart what could be a painful transition for many countries whose economies depend on trade with the US as basic essentials are expected to become more costly while disrupting the trade partnerships built to ensure economic stability.
Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia are among the African economies that face the lowest tariffs under President Donald Trump’s new trade policy. Goods from the three countries will be subject to a 10% levy, significantly lower than rates imposed on some other African countries, with China at 34% and countries in the European Union at 20%.
Trump in his Rose Garden announcement said the move is aimed at bringing back manufacturing to the US, increasing tax revenues, and a response to unfair trade policies. The plan, which set a baseline tariff of 10%, could upset global trade and slow growth in developing countries like Vietnam where the stock markets have already crashed since the announcement.
The 10% universal tariff will take effect on April 5, while reciprocal tariffs, such as those imposed on imports from Nigeria, will begin on April 9. Nigeria’s goods to the US will face a 14% levy, nearly half of the duties the West African nation imposes on imports from the US.
“April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in an address on Wednesday.
Trump’s tariff announcement presents a significant political and economic risk for African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, which already grapple with economic downturns.
Goods from around 30 African countries–most of which impose 10% tariffs–will face the lowest rates globally. Trump’s new trade policy further heightens uncertainty over the renewal of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in September 2025.
South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya are the biggest beneficiaries of AGOA, which grants duty-free access to the US market for 32 sub-Saharan African countries. In 2024, the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) covered imports averaging $11.6 billion.
