U.S enacts 12.5% tariff on goods imported from Nigeria over forced labour concerns

The U.S. has enacted a 12.5% tariff on goods imported from Nigeria due to concerns over the country’s inadequate enforcement of laws banning products made with forced labor.

This announcement was made on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), emphasizing that the tariff targets nations that have failed to implement or enforce restrictions against imports associated with forced labor.

Nigeria is one of six countries affected, along with India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. While Nigeria faces the higher tariff rate, the others will incur a 10% tariff.

This action represents the latest initiative by the administration of President Donald Trump to alter global trade policies through existing laws.

These tariffs were introduced six months after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the White House to apply broad global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

In response to that ruling, Trump used Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement a temporary 10% tariff on imports into the U.S., which was eventually raised to 15%.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that the decision followed extensive investigations involving 60 economies, multiple public hearings, consultations with over 45 governments, and numerous public comments.

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Greer stated, “President Trump acknowledges that decades of moral persuasion have not eliminated forced labor from global supply chains,” adding that it is time for trading partners to align with the U.S., which has enforced a ban on forced labor imports for nearly a century.

The newly imposed tariff aims to pressure trading partners to enhance their measures against forced labor in global supply chains.