The South African government must prioritize its sovereignty over its foreign policy, even at the potential cost of losing AGOA, Dr. Oscar van Heerden, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg, told Sputnik Africa.
“If you sell your soul, and you allow foreign countries to dictate your foreign policy as to who can be your friends and who can't be your friends and who you should trade with and not trade with, etc., then you are just a banana republic,” he remarked.
While acknowledging AGOA’s economic benefits, van Heerden emphasized that its potential withdrawal would have repercussions for both South Africa and the United States.
“The trade agreement is a two-way stream. It might be skewed, yes, but it is a two-way stream. And so if the agreement falls away, all of those businesses, all of those imports from the United States into South Africa will also be subjected to negative impacts,” he explained.
Despite the implications, van Heerden asserts that South Africa can adapt.
“Can South Africa do without it? Of course, it can. You know, there was a time when there was no AGOA,” he concluded, highlighting the nation’s ability to navigate global trade without relying solely on preferential agreements.