Africa-Press – Lesotho. Following the United States (U.S) legislators’ tabling of a Bill to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for three more years a few days ago, the factory workers’ union has embraced the move.
The Bill is said to be seeking to restore stability to Washington’s flagship trade program with sub-Saharan Africa after it lapsed on September 30 this year.
The AGOA Extension Act (H.R. 6500), introduced by Representative Jason Smith of Missouri, aims to renew the program’s expiration date from September 30, 2025, to December 31, 2028, according to the Bill text. The proposal also extends key apparel provisions including the regional apparel and third-country fabric rules through 2028.
Speaking in an interview National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU) Secretary General Mr. Ts’epang Makakole said though three years is not enough, but it is better saying if the Bill is passed, it would mean that the government of Lesotho has a lot of planning to do within these three years.
“The government must plan for 2029 when the said extension would expire so that we do not face high job losses. It must increase the line item so that when the textile market struggles due to declines in orders then we have an option to increase somewhere, maybe in agriculture”, he said .
