U.S. trade chief Tai calls for improvements to African trade program

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told African counterparts on Tuesday that she wants to improve participation in the U.S. trade preferences program that provides access to U.S. markets for nearly 40 African countries.

Tai said she wanted to conduct an "honest assessment" of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which has underpinned U.S.-Africa trade for more than two decades, during remarks to a meeting of trade ministers from Africa at the start of a regional leaders summit in Washington.