Okonjo-Iweala: Trump’s Tariffs Will Have Little Impact on Africa

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that Africa will experience minimal effects from the new tariffs imposed by the United States.

Speaking with Nigerian journalists at the World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C. on Friday, Okonjo-Iweala explained that only 6.5% of Africa’s exports go to the U.S., while 4.4% of its imports come from there — making the overall impact on the continent relatively minor.

“Our analysis shows the continent’s trade with the U.S. is limited, so the effect of the tariffs will not be significant,” she said.

However, she pointed out that such limited trade with the U.S. was also a missed opportunity for Africa’s growth. Okonjo-Iweala stressed the need for Africa to focus on boosting intra-African trade and maximizing its internal resources, especially as international aid declines.

Using Lesotho as an example, she highlighted that although the country exports $200 million worth of textiles to the U.S., it still faces serious market challenges. She suggested that countries like Lesotho could find better prospects by selling textiles within African markets, considering the continent spends $7 billion annually on textile imports.

Okonjo-Iweala also called on the U.S. to reconsider the impact of its tariffs on least-developed countries, urging more sensitivity towards poorer economies.

She concluded by emphasizing that Africa must strengthen intra-continental trade, noting that Africa’s internal trade currently stands between just 16% and 20%, while the continent accounts for only about 3% of global trade.