Rep. Bass Seeks Extension To Ethiopia’s AGOA Termination Deadline

[caption id="attachment_91666" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen meeting with U.S. Congresswomen Karen Bass and and Sara Josephine Jacobs last September.Photo courtesy[/caption]

WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement:

“On November 2nd, the Biden Administration announced its intent to suspend Ethiopia from AGOA by January 1, 2022.  Suspension of AGOA will reverse economic gains that have been hard won by the people of Ethiopia, American investors, and exacerbate the circumstances of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including women and children.

I urge the Administration to allow time for all parties in Ethiopia to take the necessary steps to end this conflict, deploy humanitarian aid to those who need it, and continue negotiations to garner peace.  The abrupt timeline of January 1, 2022, will adversely impact citizens without necessarily alternating the pace of progress.”