Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs: What They Mean for Africa—and How the Continent Can Respond Strategically On April 2, 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a powerful message from the White House Rose Garden: the "one-sided trade deals" era was over. As part of his administration’s push for what he termed “fair and reciprocal trade,” Trump announced sweeping tariffs on goods imported from multiple countries—including 23 African nations. The Numbers: A Breakdown of Africa’s Tariff Burden Here’s a snapshot of the newly imposed tariffs on African countries: South Africa – 30% Nigeria – 14% Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Liberia – 10% each Zimbabwe – 18% Lesotho – a staggering 50% Mauritius – 40% Botswana – 37% Tunisia – 28% Cameroon, DRC – 11% each Zambia, Malawi – 17% each (Full list available at the bottom of this article.) The economic impact could be considerable. South Africa's citrus industry alone could lose up ...