US imposes 12.5% tariff on Nigerian imports over forced labour claims

The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria over what it says is the country’s failure to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

The measure, announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), is part of a wider trade action targeting 60 economies deemed not to have effectively enforced bans on goods linked to forced labour.

According to a statement published by the USTR on Thursday, Nigeria is among countries subject to the higher 12.5 per cent tariff. Countries including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will instead face a lower 10 per cent tariff after introducing, or committing to introduce, enforceable import restrictions on goods produced through forced labour.

The USTR said the tariffs followed investigations launched in May 2026 under Section 301 of the US Trade Act into 60 of America’s largest trading partners.

The agency said it reviewed more than 1,600 written submissions, heard testimony from over 100 witnesses at public hearings, and consulted more than 45 foreign governments before reaching its decision.

Explaining the tariff structure, the USTR said a 10 per cent duty would apply to economies that have implemented, or committed through reciprocal trade agreements to implement and enforce, prohibitions on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

It added that a 12.5 per cent tariff would apply to all other investigated economies, including Nigeria.

A Federal Register notice cited by the USTR stated that, following its investigation and consideration of public comments and recommendations from the Section 301 Committee, the Trade Representative had decided to impose a 12.5 per cent tariff on Nigerian products, subject to specified exemptions.

The latest action comes after President Donald Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce temporary tariffs, following a US Supreme Court decision that blocked his administration’s broader tariff plan under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the tariffs were designed to encourage trading partners to adopt stronger laws 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 maintained a forced labour import ban for nearly a century. It is well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”

The USTR said the tariffs would not apply to certain exempted products, including raw materials needed to prevent domestic supply shortages, goods considered essential to avoiding significant economic disruption, and items that are not available in sufficient quantities within the United States.