US Removes Ethiopia, Mali, and Guinea from Africa Growth and Opportunity Act

Aljazeera published on 2 January 2022 an article titled "US Removes Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from AGOA Trade Programme." 

The United States removed Ethiopia on 1 January 2022 from AGOA eligibility due to "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights being perpetrated by the government of Ethiopia and other parties amid the widening conflict in northern Ethiopia."  It removed Mali and Guinea because of coups d'etat in both countries.  Each country has benchmarks for reinstatement of AGOA eligibility.  

A factsheet on "AGOA and Ethiopia" explains that in 2020 Ethiopia exported to the United States $238 million of goods (mostly apparel and footwear) under the terms of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.  Coffee exports of $131 million did not fall under AGOA.  

Ethiopia Wants to Reduce Trade Deficit with China

 Development Reimagined posted on 26 March 2021 an interview with Teshome Toga Chanaka, Ethiopia's ambassador to China, titled "Adding Value to Agricultural Exports to China Will Be Key to Ethiopia's Post-COVID Recovery."

Ambassador Teshome discussed China-Ethiopia relations in the post-COVID-19 era.  He focused on Ethiopia's trade deficit with China--37 to 1 in favor of China--, suggesting Ethiopia needs to export more agricultural products, especially coffee, to China to narrow the trade deficit.