Lesotho Hit With Highest Tariff in the World by Trump

Points clés à retenir

The tariff on Lesotho highlights growing tensions between the U.S. and Africa over trade fairness and development strategy. The country’s largest exports—apparel and diamonds—had benefited from U.S. duty-free access under AGOA, a cornerstone of U.S.-Africa trade policy for two decades. Lesotho’s export-led strategy, developed in part with U.S. support, has helped create manufacturing jobs in a country where many youth migrate to South Africa in search of work. Now, with a 50% tariff, its competitive edge in the U.S. market is at risk. Economists warn the tariffs could undermine efforts to foster industrialization in Africa. Bloomberg Africa economist Yvonne Mhango said targeting Lesotho—despite its small size and strategic dependency on exports—runs counter to Washington’s past trade and development messaging. If other AGOA beneficiaries face similar recalculations, it could accelerate Africa’s pivot toward trade partners offering more stable market access, including China, the EU, and Gulf nations.