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US President Donald Trump is intensifying his protectionist trade strategy, revealing plans to slap over 10% in new tariffs on imports from smaller countries — including several across Africa and the Caribbean. The move signals a dramatic pivot in U.S. trade posture, one Trump insists is about enforcing “reciprocal” treatment.
Some African nations are already bracing for the blow. Lesotho, a small landlocked country in southern Africa, could see tariffs surge to as high as 50% on its exports to the U.S. Although the new tariffs are still under review during a three-month consultation window, anxiety is mounting over their long-term impact.
“These are countries. Many of them, you know, like 200 countries,” Trump said when pressed on which nations would be targeted. “We’ll probably set one tariff for all of them.”
Backing the president’s stance, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick remarked, “The Caribbean countries, African countries. There are a lot of them.” He added that Trump is determined to handle small nations in a way he believes delivers results.
Meanwhile, the World Trade Organisation is urging restraint. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has appealed for African nations to be spared, warning that the proposed measures could unravel years of economic progress and deeply harm developing economies.
As the consultation period ticks on, affected governments and global trade institutions are pushing hard for dialogue. Their goal: to avoid triggering fresh waves of economic turmoil, particularly in export-dependent and already vulnerable nations.
