The United States (US) has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria, citing the country’s failure to prohibit and effectively enforce a ban on goods produced with forced labour.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which said the measure targets countries that have not implemented or enforced restrictions on imports linked to forced labour.
Nigeria was among six affected countries, alongside India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom. While Nigeria faces a 12.5 per cent tariff, the other countries were subjected to a 10 per cent rate.
The move marks the latest effort by the administration of US President Donald Trump to reshape global trade policy through existing trade laws.
The tariffs come six months after the US Supreme Court blocked the White House’s attempt to impose broad global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Following the ruling, Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on imports into the United States for up to 150 days before later increasing the rate to 15 per cent.
According to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the decision followed investigations covering 60 economies, two rounds of public hearings, consultations with more than 45 governments and thousands of public submissions.
Greer said, “President Trump recognises that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labour from global supply chains.”
He added, “The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”
The new tariff is expected to take effect as part of Washington’s broader effort to pressure trading partners into strengthening measures against forced labour in global supply chains.
