Why Africa rallies for access, hesitates at integration: Agoa-AfCFTA politics
Kenyan workers prepare clothes for export at the New Wide Garment Export Processing Zone (EPZ) factory operating under the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) in Kitengela, Kajiado County, Kenya on September 19, 2025.
Agoa’s recent renewal shows how quickly African governments mobilise when external market access is at stake. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) delay reveals where that urgency falters and why.
The renewal of Agoa extended in the first week of February 2026 for a single year, triggered swift and coordinated responses across African capitals.
