UNITED STATES: US imposes 12.5% tariff on Nigerian imports over forced labour rules
The United States has announced a new 12.5 percent tariff on goods imported from Nigeria.
This puts Nigeria among dozens of trading partners penalized under a policy targeting forced labour in global supply chains.
The decision was released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative. It affects 60 economies that Washington says have not adopted or effectively enforced bans on products made with forced labour.
Under the policy, countries that have introduced or pledged to introduce such restrictions will face a lower tariff of 10 percent. Those include India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
According to the USTR, the action followed investigations launched in May 2026 under Section 301 of the Trade Act. The review covered 60 of America’s largest trading partners, drew more than 1,600 written submissions, included testimony from over 100 witnesses in public hearings, and involved consultations with more than 45 governments.
Explaining the tariff structure, the USTR said 10 percent applies to economies that impose a forced labour import prohibition, have committed to do so through a reciprocal trade agreement, or have a partial regime preventing certain forced labour goods. Countries in that group include Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.
A rate of 10 percent or 12.5 percent, net of Most-Favored-Nation rate, applies to certain products from the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland that are not otherwise exempted.
The USTR stated that 12.5 percent is the appropriate rate for all other investigated economies, including Nigeria.
A Federal Register notice confirmed Nigerian exports will be subject to the 12.5 percent tariff, except for products listed under specified exemptions.
The notice said the determination was made based on the investigation findings, public comments, testimony, advice from the Section 301 Committee and advisory committees, and the direction of the President.
The new measure follows President Donald Trump’s decision to invoke Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce temporary universal tariffs after the US Supreme Court blocked a wider tariff proposal under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the policy is meant to push trading partners to take stronger action 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 some products will be exempt, including raw materials that could cause domestic shortages, goods that could create widespread economic disruption, products not available in sufficient quantities in the US or from alternative suppliers, and selected imports from countries that have adopted or committed to forced labour import bans. Additional exemptions were granted where tariffs were deemed unlikely to eliminate the practices identified.