AGOA Renewal and Improvement Act of 2024

This bill reauthorizes and extends the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through September 30, 2041, and makes various modifications to eligibility, enforcement, reporting, and other provisions related to trade with sub-Saharan African countries.

Sec. 2, Extension of AGOA: Extends the AGOA program and related apparel and textile provisions from September 30, 2025, to September 30, 2041, and adjusts the number of succeeding years for the regional apparel article program from 21 to 37.

Sec. 3, Review, enforcement, and reporting requirements: Makes the President's designation of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries mandatory rather than authorized, and requires biennial reviews of each country's progress in meeting eligibility requirements, with provisions for out-of-cycle reviews initiated by the President or upon joint request by congressional committee leaders.

Sec. 4, Support for regional supply chains in Africa: Authorizes the President to designate countries that have signed and ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as eligible AfCFTA countries, and updates references throughout the Act from former beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries to eligible AfCFTA countries.

Sec. 5, Graduation of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries: Requires the President to terminate the designation of a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country if it has been classified as high income for 5 consecutive years, effective January 1 of the second year after that determination, with an exception allowing up to 5 additional years to negotiate a free trade agreement.

Sec. 6, Modification of eligibility requirements: Makes the President's designation of countries as eligible for AGOA mandatory, and updates eligibility requirements to include anti-corruption standards, human rights criteria (including references to trafficking, child soldiers, and religious freedom), and anti-terrorism provisions.

Sec. 7, Report on enforcement of prohibition on importation of goods made with forced labor: Requires the Secretary of Commerce to submit a report within 90 days on procedures ensuring that textile and apparel articles receiving preferential treatment are not exported in violation of forced labor laws, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

Sec. 8, Improving utilization of AGOA: Expresses the sense of Congress that beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries should develop biennial utilization strategies to better use AGOA benefits, with contents including review of potential exports, identification of obstacles, and plans to promote small business and regional integration.

Sec. 9, Reports on implementation and potential trade agreements: Requires the President to submit a biennial implementation report starting December 31, 2024, and the U.S. Trade Representative to submit a quadrennial report on potential free trade agreements with sub-Saharan African countries, with reporting requirements ending after September 30, 2041.

Sec. 10, USITC report on expanding articles covered by AGOA: Requires the U.S. International Trade Commission to submit a report within one year evaluating options for expanding duty-free treatment under AGOA, after holding a public hearing, considering economic effects on exporting countries and the United States.

Sec. 11, AGOA forum and other updates: Amends the AGOA forum to require an annual meeting by September 30 in the United States or sub-Saharan Africa, updates references from USIS to Department of Commerce, and removes a subsection.

Sec. 12, Updating protections against transshipment of certain textiles and apparel articles: Repeals outdated textile visa requirements and modifies production verification team visits to be sent as necessary rather than annually.

Sec. 13, Technical corrections: Updates country names in the definition of sub-Saharan Africa (adding Eswatini, updating Ethiopia and Somalia, removing Swaziland) and updates references from Customs Service to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.