The round of tariffs imposed by the US signals the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) according to several economists in Africa. Many governments in the region are working on an assumption that the tariff reliefs under AGOA won’t operate between now and the law’s review by the US Congress in September. The cost of AGOA to the US is marginal: a Washington-based think tank estimates it costs the US about US$250 million a year (about 2% of US aid to Africa before the recent cuts). But it cuts across President Trump’s preference for bilateral trade agreements and distaste for multilateralism.