African nations are rethinking their economic future.
Once a cornerstone of US-Africa trade, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) now stands effectively nullified by Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, ultimately jeopardising key sectors as varied as South Africa’s auto industry and Lesotho’s textile industry.
But crisis is giving way to recalibration, writes Francis Silva in this article for Tuko News. Leaders like Kenya’s President William Ruto and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa have emphasised the need for intra-African trade and cooperation, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with suggestions it could lift 30 million people out of poverty by 2035.
With external shocks mounting, from rising inflation to currency depreciation, many African nations are accelerating industrial diversification, regional integration, and South-South partnerships. China’s Belt and Road Initiative and growing BRICS engagement are part of a pivot away from Western dependency.
As Silva sees it, the message is clear: Africa must control its own economic destiny. The US tariffs may have triggered a crisis, but they also open the door to long-overdue reform and greater sovereignty in global trade.
Original article was written in Swahili by Francis Silva and published in Toko News on 16 April 2025. It’s available here.
Tuko News is a Kenyan digital media and news platform.
