On June 26, 2014, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release announcing the reinstatement of Madagascar’s eligibility under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), effective immediately, and removing Swaziland as an AGOA beneficiary, effective January 1, 2015.

According to the release, “The decision to withdraw Swaziland’s AGOA eligibility comes after years of engaging with the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland on concerns about its implementation of the AGOA eligibility criteria related to worker rights.  After an extensive review, including through a USTR-led interagency trip in April, the United States Government concluded that Swaziland had not demonstrated progress on the protection of internationally recognized worker rights.”

Madagascar was originally removed from AGOA in 2010, as a result of the 2009 coup d’état. Madagascar successfully elected a new government in 2013 and has taken steps to normalize their relationship with the U.S.

The press release can be accessed here