US Imposes 12.5% Tariff on Nigerian Imports Over Forced Labour Concerns

The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria, placing the country among 60 economies penalised under a new trade measure targeting nations Washington says have failed to ban the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the tariff in a statement on Thursday. The measure affects imports from 60 economies the US says have not “imposed and effectively enforced a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.” Nigeria faces the 12.5 per cent rate, while India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom will pay a lower 10 per cent tariff after adopting or committing to forced-labour import bans.

The new duties take effect under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, replacing a temporary universal tariff. USTR confirmed the action followed a multi-month investigation that included public hearings, over 2,100 written submissions, and extensive witness testimony.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington has enforced its own forced-labour import ban for nearly a century and that the new tariffs are meant to push trading partners toward similar protections. Certain goods are exempted, including oil, gas, fertiliser, select food items, and raw materials that could cause domestic supply shortages in the US.

Nigeria’s placement in the higher bracket follows an earlier tariff imposed in July 2025 over what President Donald Trump described as the country’s alignment with the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS bloc. Nigeria is one of nine African economies, alongside Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and South Africa, listed among 54 economies found to have failed to enforce forced-labour import bans.

The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official response. Efforts to reach the Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Ministry of Finance for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.