Congress leaders write a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to keep Ethiopia under AGOA

Addis Ababa, December 23, 2021 (FBC) – U.S. Congress Leaders Chris Van Hollen, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy and Karen Bass, Chair of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations have written a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to keep Ethiopia under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

“We write regarding your intent to terminate the designation of Ethiopia as a beneficiary country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as of January 1, 2022. We ask that you reconsider this decision to suspend Ethiopia’s eligibility on such an abrupt timeline and allow time for all parties in Ethiopia to take the necessary steps to end the conflict, deploy humanitarian aid to those who need it, and continue negotiations to garner peace,” the letter says.

“On November 2, the White House announced that Ethiopia would lose its AGOA eligibility at the end of the year. While we absolutely condemn the human rights abuses that have taken place on both sides of this conflict, we are concerned that suspension of AGOA benefits will be counterproductive and disproportionately harm the most vulnerable Ethiopians without contributing to the cessation of hostilities. Loss of AGOA eligibility will reverse economic gains that have been hard won by the people of Ethiopia, American investors, and exacerbate the circumstances of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including women and children. Furthermore, this decision invites China to strengthen its economic foothold in the Horn of Africa, they said in the letter,” the Congress leaders said.

The Congress Leaders further urged the Biden administration to explore options for allowing additional time for Ethiopia to come into compliance with AGOA calling for peaceful resolution of the conflict.