Uganda will request the restoration of preferential trade access from the US, lost in 2023 after the African nation enacted strict anti-LGBTQ* legislation.
“We are going to start engaging with the new administration as soon as possible,” Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vincent Waiswa Bagiire said, noting that US President Donald Trump set a favorable tone.
The African Growth & Opportunity Act, which provides sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US, is set to expire in September. Uganda, a major coffee exporter, was removed from this program due to the anti-LGBTQ laws, which also led to a World Bank lending freeze, potentially costing the country up to $8.3 billion over five years, according to a study by Open for Business, a coalition of global companies.
On his first day in office this week, Trump signed executive orders rolling back LGBTQ protections and ending government diversity programs.
*The "LGBT movement" is regarded as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia