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The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria under a new trade policy targeting countries Washington says have failed to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
The measure, announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on Thursday, affects imports from 60 economies that the U.S. said have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.”
Nigeria is among the countries subject to the 12.5 per cent tariff, while India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will face a lower 10 per cent tariff after adopting or committing to implement bans on imports linked to forced labour.
The decision follows investigations launched by the USTR in May 2026 into 60 of the United States’ largest trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act.
The agency said it received more than 1,600 written submissions, heard testimony from over 100 witnesses and consulted more than 45 governments before announcing the measures.
According to the USTR, countries that have already implemented, or committed to implementing, forced labour import prohibitions would attract a 10 per cent tariff.
“10 per cent is the appropriate rate of Section 301 duties for investigated economies that (i) impose a forced labour import prohibition; (ii) have committed to impose and enforce such a prohibition through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade; or (iii) have imposed a partial regime with the effect of preventing the importation of certain forced labour goods,” the agency said.
In a Federal Register notice, the USTR stated that Nigeria would be subject to a 12.5 per cent tariff on its exports to the United States, except for products covered by specified exemptions.
It stated, “Based on the findings in the investigation of Nigeria, considering the public comments, testimony, and the advice of the Section 301 Committee, as well as the advice of advisory committees, and in accordance with the specific direction of the President, the Trade Representative has determined to impose 12.5 percent tariffs on products of Nigeria, except as provided in Annex I and Annex II, Part A, of this Notice.”
“The Trade Representative has determined, in accordance with the specific direction of the President, that the tariff rate to be applied, and the scope of tariffs and exemptions, are appropriate to obtain the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices determined to be actionable in the investigation.”
The latest action comes after President Donald Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary universal tariff on imports following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that blocked his administration’s broader tariff plan under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the new tariffs were intended to encourage trading partners to strengthen measures against forced labour.
“President Trump recognises that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labour from global supply chains,” Greer said.
“The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”
The USTR said the tariffs would not apply to certain exempted products, including raw materials that could create domestic supply shortages, goods capable of causing wider economic disruptions, products unavailable in sufficient quantities in the United States or from alternative suppliers, and selected imports from countries that have adopted or pledged to implement forced labour import bans.
It added that additional exemptions were granted where the tariffs were considered unlikely to eliminate the trade practices under investigation.
