US President Donald Trump raised import duties on goods for seven African countries in a new wave of sweeping tariffs announced on Thursday.
According to a White House statement, the US “reciprocal tariffs” now target around 68 countries and the European Union, with rates as high as 30% for some African nations.
Trump’s earlier tariff chart, released on April 2, 2025, covered only about 60 countries, excluding the European Union.
The President said the revised measures are intended to “restore fairness” and address what his administration has labelled “systemic trade abuse”.
“I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 by imposing additional ad valorem duties on goods of certain trading partners,” the statement said.
Effective August 7, Nigerian exports to the US will face a 15% duty, up slightly from the 14% imposed in April.
Under the new structure, the 15% rate applies to countries with which the US runs a trade deficit. By contrast, nations with a trade surplus will face a lower 10% rate. Data from the Office of the United States Trade Representative put the US trade deficit with Nigeria at $1.5 billion as of December 2024.
Ghana, Uganda see sharpest tariff hikes
In addition to Nigeria, six other African countries have seen their tariffs raised to a flat 15% under the revised US trade regime.
Ghana and Uganda recorded the steepest hikes of five percentage points, up from a previous rate of 10%.
According to US trade data, Uganda’s goods trade deficit with the US widened in 2024, reaching $26.3 million, representing more than a fivefold increase from the previous year.
Ghana’s trade gap also rose sharply, up 73% year-on-year to $204.4 million. The other countries impacted are Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cameroon and Congo had previously faced an 11% tariff, while Chad and Equatorial Guinea were subject to a 13% rate.
For Nigeria, the tariff troubles aren’t over
On July 6, Trump warned of an additional 10% levy on “any country aligning itself with the anti-American policies of BRICS.” BRICS is an economic alliance that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and several other nations.
The threat followed Brazil’s formal announcement in January that Nigeria had joined the intergovernmental bloc as its ninth partner country.
“There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump said in a social media post.
If enacted, the additional duty would raise total US tariffs on Nigerian exports from 15% to 25%, placing more strain on bilateral trade.
Crude oil and petroleum products remain Nigeria’s largest exports to the US, accounting for about 90% of its foreign exchange earnings.
But the country has been seeking to diversify its export profile, with cocoa, fertiliser, and processed goods increasingly entering the American market.
It remains unclear whether oil and gas products would be excluded from the potential hike, as they were during the April tariff rollout.
If not, the cost of shipping Nigerian goods to the US could rise significantly—raising fresh concerns for exporters already navigating volatile global demand.
