The United States has imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Nigeria as part of a new trade measure targeting countries Washington says have failed to impose and effectively enforce bans on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

The measure, announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, affects imports from 60 economies investigated under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

According to the USTR, the action followed investigations launched in May 2026 into some of America’s largest trading partners. The agency said it received more than 1,600 written submissions, held public hearings involving more than 100 witnesses, and consulted over 45 governments before announcing the tariffs.

Under the new framework, countries that have already imposed, partially imposed, or committed to enforcing forced labour import bans will face a 10 per cent tariff, while other investigated economies, including Nigeria, will face a 12.5 per cent tariff.

The USTR said the lower 10 per cent tariff applies to countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom, which have adopted or committed to adopting measures against forced labour-linked imports.

In Nigeria’s case, a Federal Register notice stated that the country would be subjected to a 12.5 per cent tariff on its products, except for items listed under specified exemptions.

The notice said the tariff was imposed after the USTR considered the findings of the investigation, public comments, testimony, advice from the Section 301 Committee and advisory committees, as well as the direction of the President.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the measure was intended to pressure trading partners to strengthen action against forced labour in global supply chains.

“President Trump recognises that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labour from global supply chains,” Greer said.

“The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”

The USTR said some products are exempted from the tariffs, including raw materials that could create domestic supply shortages, goods that could cause economy-wide disruptions, products unavailable in sufficient quantities in the United States or from alternative sources, and selected goods from countries that have adopted or pledged to implement forced labour import bans.

It added that exemptions were also granted where the tariffs were considered unlikely to eliminate the trade practices under investigation.

S/N Country/Territory Tariff Rate
1 Algeria 12.5%
2 Angola 12.5%
3 Argentina 10%
4 Australia 12.5%
5 Bahrain 12.5%
6 Bangladesh 10%
7 Brazil 12.5%
8 Cambodia 10%
9 Canada 10%
10 Chile 12.5%
11 China 12.5%
12 Colombia 12.5%
13 Costa Rica 12.5%
14 Dominican Republic 12.5%
15 Ecuador 10%
16 Egypt 12.5%
17 El Salvador 10%
18 European Union* 10%
19 Guatemala 10%
20 Guyana 12.5%
21 Honduras 10%
22 Hong Kong 12.5%
23 India 10%
24 Indonesia 10%
25 Iraq 12.5%
26 Israel 12.5%
27 Japan* 12.5%
28 Jordan 10%
29 Kazakhstan 12.5%
30 Kuwait 12.5%
31 Libya 12.5%
32 Malaysia 10%
33 Mexico 10%
34 Morocco 12.5%
35 New Zealand 12.5%
36 Nicaragua 12.5%
37 Nigeria 12.5%
38 Norway 12.5%
39 Oman 12.5%
40 Pakistan 10%
41 Peru 12.5%
42 Philippines 12.5%
43 Qatar 12.5%
44 Russia 12.5%
45 Saudi Arabia 12.5%
46 Singapore 12.5%
47 South Africa 12.5%
48 South Korea* 12.5%
49 Sri Lanka 10%
50 Switzerland* 12.5%
51 Taiwan* 10%
52 Thailand 12.5%
53 The Bahamas 12.5%
54 Trinidad and Tobago 10%
55 Turkey 12.5%
56 United Arab Emirates 12.5%
57 United Kingdom 10%
58 Uruguay 12.5%
59 Venezuela 12.5%
60 Vietnam 12.5%

 

For the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan, the tariffs are applied net of the Most-Favoured-Nation rate, according to the USTR.

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