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# [MAURITIUS] AGOA Extended to 2028: A Major Win for Textiles and Thousands of Jobs
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/maurice-agoa-prolonge-jusquen-2028-victoire-pour-le-textile-et-des-milliers-demplois-en/
- Published: 2026-09-04T02:55:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-04T02:55:40.000Z
- Description: The US House extended AGOA to 2028 by 370 votes to 48. The TCF provision is preserved. Mauritius hails a major victory for its textile sector and thousands of jobs.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Maurice, Économie, Investissement, emploi, Revue matinale, #en

The US House of Representatives voted on 2 September 2026 to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to 31 December 2028, by 370 votes to 48\. Mauritius hails a "major victory" for its textile industry and its primary export channel to the United States.

## An Overwhelming Congressional Vote

The 370-to-48 result reflects a rare bipartisan consensus in Washington in favour of sub-Saharan African trade. The bill must still be signed by President Donald Trump before taking full effect, but Mauritian business leaders are reading the signal as strongly positive. Minister Ritish Ramful stressed that the extension provides "greater visibility and certainty" for operators, in a global trade environment marked by tariff tensions.

## The TCF Mechanism: Backbone of Mauritian Textiles

Beyond the extension itself, the preservation of the Third Country Fabric (TCF) provision is a victory within the victory. This mechanism allows Mauritian manufacturers to use fabrics sourced from third countries — primarily Asia — while retaining duty-free preferential access to the US market. Without it, thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the textile sector would be at risk. The Mauritius-US Business Association had made TCF a top lobbying priority in Washington.

## Jobs Secured, Negotiations Open

AGOA has been one of the pillars of Mauritius's access to US markets for over twenty years. The textile sector — exporting clothing and knitwear to the United States — employs tens of thousands of people on the island. The extension to 2028 provides a planning window that businesses had been waiting for after months of uncertainty. In parallel, Mauritius is negotiating a bilateral reciprocal tariff agreement with the US Trade Representative (USTR), aimed at building a more durable commercial relationship beyond 2028.

## Why It Matters

In a world where trade agreements rise and fall with changing administrations, the AGOA extension reassures investors and international buyers who see Mauritius as an African manufacturing hub. Every secured textile job supports a local value chain: transport, logistics, training, business services. The next step — the presidential signature — will be closely watched in Port Louis. *Source: L'Express Mauritius, allAfrica, 2-3 September 2026.*