Jun 23, 2004
The African Growth and Opportunity Act: Moving AGOA III Forward in the U.S. Senate
Having recently been adopted in the house, AGOA III was stalled in the Senate in June 2004. Speakers, including representatives of the African Diplomatic Corps, the Congressional Research Service, and representatives of Africa-focused NGOs provided key Senate staffers with the first-hand account of the success of this legislation. One notable success story was that of Africa’s clothing industry. In the first two years of AGOA, Africa’s clothing exports to the U.S. grew 46%, reaching $1.1 billion in 2002. In the first nine months of 2003, this mark had been easily topped.
On June 24, 2004, the day after this Africa Thursday seminar, AGOA was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent. President Bush subsequently signed the legislation into law on Tuesday, July 13th. This Africa Thursday congressional seminar is widely credited with providing the momentum necessary to achieve passage.