MINISTER of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Mokhethi Shelile, has assured Basotho that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will be extended, despite the Bill still awaiting approval and signing by United States President Donald Trump.
Mr Shelile said this during a media briefing in Maseru this week following a visit to the United States by a delegation representing four African countries — Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius and Tanzania.
He said the delegation met various congressional committees which had given the proposed AGOA extension a green light.
“We are confident the Bill will pass. It has already secured the support of 340 lawmakers in the House of Representatives and is now moving to the Senate,” Mr Shelile said.
“Since it will be tabled together with other Bills, we expect it to be passed by the end of January.”
He said once approved by the Senate, the Bill would be forwarded to President Trump for assent.
“We have no control over the President’s decision, but we remain hopeful that he will approve and sign the Bill,” he said.
Mr Shelile said in engagements with congressional committees, the delegation emphasised the importance of AGOA, not only to Lesotho but to other African countries that rely heavily on preferential access to the US market.
He noted that Lesotho’s exports to the United States had declined sharply from about 65 percent to 20 percent, describing the drop as a major setback to the economy.
Director of Trade, ’Malineo Seboholi, said government was responding by diversifying both products and markets.
“As part of our strategy, we are expanding into new markets and have already established partnerships with Europe and the United Kingdom,” Ms Seboholi said.
On January 12, the United States House of Representatives approved a three-year extension of AGOA, a trade programme that grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market.
AGOA has long been a cornerstone of Lesotho’s export-led growth, particularly in the textile and apparel sector, which employs thousands of workers and remains one of the country’s most important sources of foreign exchange.
It expired in September 2025 and lapsed for several months, disrupting African exports, hurting businesses and weakening trade ties with the United States.
The House voted overwhelmingly in favour of the extension, with 340 lawmakers supporting the Bill and 54 opposing it. The legislation has now been referred to the Senate for further consideration, although uncertainty remains over South Africa’s continued participation amid ongoing trade and diplomatic tensions with Washington.
The proposed legislation, known as the AGOA Extension Act, seeks to extend duty-free treatment for imports from eligible African countries by shifting the programme’s expiry date from 30 September 2025 to 31 December 2028.
