Trump Slaps Heavy Tariffs on African Imports, Vows Economic Revamp

The United States imposed sweeping import taxes ranging from 10% to 50% on goods from multiple African nations effective April 9, 2025, as part of President Donald Trump’s “Declaration of Economic Independence.”

The move, announced Wednesday, targets countries including Lesotho, Madagascar, and Mauritius, drawing sharp attention to Washington’s recalibrated trade strategy under Trump’s renewed administration.

Lesotho, a landlocked southern African nation Trump once claimed “nobody has ever heard of,” faces the steepest tariff at 50%. Madagascar follows with 47%, while Mauritius and Botswana are subject to 40% and 37% levies, respectively. Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, and Nigeria received rates between 14% and 30%, with other African nations hit by a blanket 10% duty.

“This is one of the most important days in American history,” the 78-year-old president declared during a Rose Garden address. “Factories will come roaring back into our country. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base and break down foreign trade barriers.”

The tariffs mirror Trump’s broader push for reciprocal trade measures, with new duties also targeting the European Union (20%), Japan (24%), and Israel (17%). These rates, Trump asserted, represent roughly half the barriers faced by U.S. exports in those markets. “We will charge them approximately half of what they are charging us,” he said.

The policy, framed as a bid to revive U.S. manufacturing, has sparked concerns over its impact on African economies reliant on American trade. Analysts anticipate retaliatory measures as global markets brace for renewed trade tensions under Trump’s second term.