Lesotho Textile Workers Protest Job Losses As U.S. Tariffs Bite
Hundreds of textile workers took to the streets of Maseru on October 31, demanding urgent government action to protect jobs amid crippling U.S. tariffs and the expiry of a key trade deal.
Around 400 demonstrators, organized by six major trade unions, marched through the capital waving flags and chanting slogans against job cuts in the country’s largest employment sector.
The protest follows steep U.S.-imposed tariffs that have dealt a heavy blow to Lesotho’s textile industry. The Trump administration in April introduced a 50 percent tariff on the country’s exports, the highest rate for any nation before reducing it to 15 percent in July. The move effectively ended two decades of preferential access to American markets under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expired at the end of September.
“Lesotho must engage the U.S. administration to cut the tariffs to 10 percent,” urged Sam Mokhele, head of the National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union, as he submitted a petition to government officials, including the ministers of trade and labour. “This would help us compete fairly with neighbours like Eswatini and Kenya, who face lower tariffs. The government must also push for AGOA’s immediate renewal.”
AGOA, a cornerstone of U.S.-Africa trade for 25 years, granted duty-free access to a range of goods from textiles to automobiles, helping create thousands of jobs across the continent. While Washington has hinted at a possible one-year extension, no official decision has yet been made.
Lesotho’s government declared a ‘state of disaster’ in July, warning of rising unemployment and economic strain. Youth joblessness stands at 38 percent, and authorities estimate that up to 40,000 positions could vanish without renewed trade access.
As uncertainty grows over AGOA’s future, workers fear that without swift diplomatic and policy intervention, Lesotho’s once-thriving textile sector, a lifeline for thousands of families, could unravel entirely.
