Patel hints at big announcement over AGOA

Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Ebrahim Patel has hinted at a big announcement in Washington this week, over the particular instruments for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum due to be hosted by South Africa in November.

Minister Ebrahim Patel was speaking exclusively to SABC News on the sidelines of a Trade and Investment Executive Dialogue hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Patel says he will travel to Washington later on Tuesday to meet his counterpart, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

“It’s about the particular instruments for the AGOA forum. The AGOA is a unilateral market access arrangement to the United States. I think that there is a very positive attitude within the American policy establishment following our engagement.”

“We’re working hard now to make sure that AGOA is extended not just for South Africa, but for all sub-Saharan African countries when it expires in 2025. This is really how we are going to move the economy forward. This is one of the directions to get higher growth and better job creation,” adds Patel.

The video below is reporting more on the story:

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