The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has expressed profound concern following the recent decision by the United States of America to impose new tariffs on imported products, including those originating from SADC Member States. The US government announced on the 2nd of April 2025 that a new baseline tariff of 10% on all imports would come into effect on the 5th of April 2025, with additional “reciprocal” tariffs to be implemented on the 9th of April 2025. These new measures pose a significant threat to the trade relations between the US and SADC countries and risk undermining the benefits previously enjoyed under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is due to expire in September 2025.
The reciprocal tariffs will impact all SADC Member States differently, with some countries facing steep increases. For instance, Lesotho will be subjected to a 50% tariff, Madagascar 47%, Mauritius 40%, Botswana 38%, South Africa 31%, Zimbabwe and Malawi each 18%, Namibia 21%, and Zambia 17%. Other countries such as Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Eswatini, Tanzania, and Angola will face tariffs ranging from 10% to 32%. Seychelles is the only SADC Member State that has been exempted from the new tariffs. These duties are additional to the existing rates and will significantly erode the duty-free access previously enjoyed by most SADC Member States under AGOA. Of particular concern is the exclusion of key export products like textiles and clothing from the list of exemptions, as these are vital to the economies of several countries in the region.
In light of these developments, the SADC Secretariat is conducting a detailed assessment of the potential economic impact these tariffs will have on various sectors across the region. The findings will be tabled during an extraordinary meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers scheduled for June 2025. Furthermore, the impact of the new US trade measures will be reviewed in upcoming meetings of the Committee of Ministers of Trade (CMT) and the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Integration (MTF). Recommendations from these engagements will be submitted to the August 2025 Council of Ministers meeting to guide a coordinated and strategic regional response.
SADC remains committed to advancing the objectives outlined in the SADC Treaty and continues to advocate for adherence to the principles of multilateral trade, fair competition, and non-discriminatory trade practices administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The regional bloc reiterates its willingness to engage constructively with the United States and other international partners to address the challenges posed by these new tariff measures.
