Nigeria will face a 12.5 per cent tariff on exports to the United States under a new trade regime announced by the administration of President Donald Trump, citing concerns over forced labour and what Washington describes as unfair trade practices.
The new tariff, unveiled by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), places Nigeria among 38 countries affected by revised import duties ranging from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent.
According to a statement issued on July 23 by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the measures are part of efforts to curb imports linked to forced labour and establish a new global tariff framework after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration’s earlier “reciprocal tariffs.”
Nigeria joins countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Venezuela in the 12.5 per cent tariff category.
Meanwhile, a lower 10 per cent tariff will apply to imports from countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
The USTR said the revised tariffs will apply to about 99.4 per cent of U.S. imports, although key products including crude oil, natural gas, fertilisers and selected food items have been exempted.
The new duties are scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Friday, with goods already in transit exempt until July 28.
According to the USTR, the decision followed extensive investigations that included public hearings, stakeholder consultations and more than 2,100 public submissions.
“Today’s action comes after the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s investigations, which included two rounds of public hearings, more than 2,100 public comments, and engagement with our trading partners to remedy these longstanding concerns,” the agency said.
Greer said the new measures reinforce America’s long-standing ban on imports produced with forced labour. “The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” he said.
The latest action follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February that invalidated Trump’s earlier reciprocal tariffs, which had imposed duties of between 10 per cent and 50 per cent under emergency powers.
In response, the administration introduced a temporary 10 per cent tariff for 150 days while developing a new framework under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, a legal mechanism considered less vulnerable to court challenges.
The Section 301 tariffs are expected to replace the temporary duties as part of Washington’s broader strategy to maintain higher import levies on countries with significant trade imbalances or other policy disputes with the United States.
Nigeria’s inclusion in the new tariff regime comes a year after President Trump announced an additional 10 per cent tariff on Nigerian goods, citing the country’s alignment with what he described as the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS bloc.
Although the latest tariff rate is higher than those imposed on countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and India, the overall impact on Nigerian exports may be moderated by exemptions covering major export products, including oil and gas.
The extent of the effect will depend largely on the mix of Nigerian goods exported to the U.S. and whether they fall within the exempt categories.
