The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria under a new trade policy targeting countries it says have failed to effectively prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
The measure, announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Thursday, affects products from 60 economies identified as not having adequately prohibited or enforced restrictions on imports linked to forced labour.
Nigeria is among the countries facing the higher 12.5 per cent tariff.
Meanwhile, countries including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will be subject to a lower 10 per cent rate after adopting, or committing to adopt, measures banning imports connected to forced labour.
The decision follows investigations launched by the USTR in May 2026 under Section 301 of the US Trade Act into 60 of America’s largest trading partners.
According to the agency, the review included more than 1,600 written submissions, testimony from over 100 witnesses during public hearings and consultations with more than 45 governments.
The USTR explained that countries with existing or proposed bans on forced labour imports qualified for the reduced 10 per cent tariff.
It listed Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom among those receiving the lower rate.
It also stated that tariffs ranging from 10 to 12.5 per cent would apply to selected products from the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, while all remaining countries under investigation would face the 12.5 per cent duty.
A Federal Register notice issued by the USTR confirmed that Nigerian exports would attract the 12.5 per cent tariff, except for products covered under specific exemptions.
According to the notice, the decision followed findings from the investigation, public comments, testimony, recommendations from advisory committees and directives from President Donald Trump.
The USTR said the tariff level and the scope of exemptions were considered appropriate to address the trade practices identified during the investigation.
The latest action comes after President Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce temporary tariffs following the US Supreme Court’s decision blocking his administration’s broader tariff programme under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the new tariffs were intended to encourage trading partners to strengthen their efforts against forced labour.
“President Trump recognises that decades of moral persuasion have not eliminated forced labour from global supply chains. The United States has maintained a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and it is time for our trading partners to do the same,” Greer said.
The USTR noted that several products would remain exempt from the tariffs, including essential raw materials that could create domestic shortages, goods capable of causing broader economic disruptions, products unavailable in sufficient quantities within the United States or from alternative suppliers, and selected imports from countries that have already implemented or committed to enforcing bans on forced labour imports.
