The United States has placed a 12.5 per cent tariff on goods imported from Nigeria under a new trade policy aimed at countries it says have not stopped the import of products made with forced labour.
The decision, announced on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, affects imports from 60 economies that Washington says have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.”
Nigeria falls under the 12.5 per cent tariff, while India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will face a lower 10 per cent rate after adopting or promising to enforce bans on such imports.
The policy follows USTR investigations launched in May 2026 into 60 major US trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act. The agency said it received over 1,600 written submissions, heard from more than 100 witnesses at public hearings, and consulted over 45 governments.
It said: “12.5 percent is the appropriate rate of Section 301 duty for all other investigated economies.”
A Federal Register notice released on Friday confirmed Nigeria would face the 12.5 per cent tariff on its products, except for items covered by listed 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 move comes after President Donald Trump used Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce a temporary universal tariff after the US Supreme Court blocked a wider tariff plan. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the policy was meant to push trading partners to tighten 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 also said some raw materials, products that could cause supply shortages or economic disruption, goods unavailable in enough quantities in the US, and selected products from countries with forced labour import bans or commitments, would be exempt. More exemptions were also approved where tariffs were not expected to end the trade practices under investigation.
