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Trade officials push for AGOA renewal in US

Pushing hard: Trade and Industry minister, Mmusi Kgafela, has been at the forefront of African ministers pressing for AGOA’s renewal PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Pushing hard: Trade and Industry minister, Mmusi Kgafela, has been at the forefront of African ministers pressing for AGOA’s renewal PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Senior officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry are in Washington DC this week pushing for the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), the key trade deal between the United States and Africa.

Led by deputy permanent secretary, Gideon Mmolawa, the local delegation is joining senior representatives of other African nations who are pressing for the renewal of the preferential trade deal with the world’s richest nation.

The US capital this week hosts a crunch meeting, featuring ministers and top officials from the governments of both sides, in the last formal engagement before the expiry of the trade agreement next year.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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