Ghana’s trade partnership with the United States is expected to gain renewed momentum following a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a policy that allows eligible African countries to export selected goods to the US market duty-free.
The development was announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a post on X on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, after a high-level bilateral engagement between Ghanaian officials and a United States delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The US delegation was led by Acting US Ambassador to Ghana, Rolf Olson, and discussions focused on reviewing Ghana–US relations, assessing cooperation in 2025, and outlining priority areas for engagement in 2026.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the extension followed a decisive vote by the US House of Representatives, which approved the continuation of AGOA by an overwhelming margin of 340 votes to 54. He described the decision as a significant boost to Ghana’s export-led growth strategy.
“The US conveyed another great news, specifically relating to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),” the Minister stated, adding that the extension is expected to strengthen Ghana’s access to the US market.
AGOA, which expired on September 30, 2025, has for over two decades served as a key driver of Ghana’s trade performance, supporting exports such as cocoa derivatives, processed agricultural products, apparel, and manufactured goods. The preferential access offered by the agreement helped many Ghanaian businesses remain competitive in the US market.
Mr Ablakwa noted that the renewed agreement would particularly benefit Ghana’s garment and textile industry, with positive implications for job creation and local manufacturing.
“This positive development will boost local garment production and create more jobs,” he said, expressing confidence that the US Senate would grant final approval to complete the process.
Beyond AGOA, the meeting highlighted improvements in trade and economic cooperation between the two countries in 2025. Ghana welcomed the removal of a 15 per cent tariff imposed under the Trump administration on several unprocessed and semi-processed agricultural exports, describing its implementation as a positive step.
The Minister also confirmed that Ghana remains exempt from US visa sanctions and proposed $15,000 visa bonds that have affected other countries, describing the exemption as a reflection of strong bilateral ties.
“Ghana will continue to be exempted from visa sanctions,” he said.
On preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States assured Ghana that special arrangements had been put in place to fast-track visa processing, a move aimed at easing delays faced by applicants.
Both countries further acknowledged progress in security and law enforcement collaboration, which led to the extradition of nine suspects from Ghana to the US in 2025, with further cooperation ongoing.
Describing the engagement as highly productive, Mr Ablakwa said the discussions underscored the growing strength of Ghana–US relations.
“We are impressed with the incredible positive velocity of our Ghana–US bilateral relations,” he said, adding that Ghana plans to begin negotiations in 2026 toward a bespoke trade agreement with the United States to deepen economic cooperation.
