President Donald Trump has suspended Rwanda’s right to export duty-free clothing to the United States as Kigali increased the tariffs on imports of used clothing and footwear. The move was seen by many in Washington and Africa as foreshadowing how the Trump administration planned to apply its ‘America First’ trade ideology on the continent. Despite the suspension, Rwanda will maintain its other duty-free benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), America’s flagship trade legislation for Africa.

Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda have increased duties on used clothing and shoes in 2016 to nurture their local textile industries. But in March 2017, the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), a trade group representing US used clothing exporters, filed a petition, arguing that the increase violated AGOA. Though they contested SMART’s assertions, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda rolled back the duty increases. But Rwanda refused joining the ranks of Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China, all of which have been the targets of Trump’s aggressive trade tactics.