AGOA is America's duty-free trade deal with Africa, in force for 25 years. It is formally in the gift of Congress. It is set to expire on September 30th 2025. As America prepares to end the arrangement and impose tariffs on African goods, China has moved in the opposite direction, announcing zero duties on products from every African country except Eswatini on June 12th 2025. Long before Trump's re-election, Republicans and Democrats in Washington grumbled about South Africa's closeness to China, Iran and Russia, and its expressions of sympathy for Hamas.
African governments have been scrambling to placate Washington in hopes of preserving trade access. Most offer a three-part package: opening markets to American firms (especially Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite-internet provider run by SpaceX); offering mining concessions for uranium, chrome, lithium and rare earths; and agreeing to accept migrants deported from America.
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.