The United States has announced a 12.5 per cent additional tariff on most imports from Nigeria as part of a new trade policy aimed at countries accused of failing to prevent goods produced through forced labour from entering their markets.
The new tariffs, unveiled on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), affect 60 major trading partners following investigations conducted under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974.
According to the USTR, countries that have introduced or committed to implementing effective restrictions on imports linked to forced labour will generally face a lower 10 per cent tariff. However, Nigeria and several other nations that do not meet those criteria will be subject to a higher 12.5 per cent rate.
The tariffs will apply to most imports from the affected countries, although certain products and categories have been exempted.
The USTR explained that its investigation focused on whether countries had failed to adequately prohibit imports produced with forced labour, a situation it said places American workers and businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
The investigations began on March 12, 2026, and by June 2, the agency concluded that the practices identified were actionable under US trade laws.
During the review process, the USTR held two rounds of public hearings, consulted with more than 45 governments, and received thousands of submissions from stakeholders. It also reviewed over 1,600 written comments before conducting another series of hearings between July 7 and July 9, where more than 100 witnesses testified.
Nigeria was not included among the countries eligible for the lower 10 per cent tariff and will therefore face the full 12.5 per cent additional duty.
Countries Eligible for the 10% Tariff
The USTR said 17 economies qualified for the reduced tariff because they have established or committed to enforcing measures that restrict imports produced through forced labour.
These countries include:
- Argentina
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United Kingdom
Special tariff arrangements will also apply to selected products from the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland based on existing Most-Favoured-Nation tariff rates.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the policy is intended to encourage stronger action against forced labour across global supply chains.
According to him, President Donald Trump believes that countries benefiting from access to the US market should implement and enforce effective measures to prevent goods produced with forced labour from entering international trade.
The USTR noted that the 60 economies covered by the new policy account for approximately 99.4 per cent of total US imports.
However, some goods are exempt from the additional tariffs, including informational materials, humanitarian donations, accompanied personal baggage, and products already covered by certain Section 232 tariffs. Other exemptions include selected raw materials and products considered essential to maintaining domestic US supply.
Full List of Countries and Tariff Rates
10% Tariff
- Argentina
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- European Union
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United Kingdom
12.5% Tariff
- Algeria
- Angola
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Brazil
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Iraq
- Israel
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Libya
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Oman
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- The Bahamas
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
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