US signals it cannot afford to lose South Africa despite AGOA and G20 exclusions
American agencies and technology companies are heading to the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town days after Washington moved to suspend Pretoria's trade preferences.
Washington is sending mixed signals on its relationship with South Africa. Days after the Office of the US Trade Representative announced the suspension of South Africa's eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from 2027, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) confirmed that it would take part in the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town from 17 to 19 November.
The DFC will be joined by other US government departments and by several of America's largest technology companies, among them Amazon, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, SpaceX and Zipline.
South Africa has also been excluded from the Group of Twenty summit hosted by the United States this year, despite having held the G20 presidency in 2025. Relations have been strained by disputes over trade, foreign policy and claims made by the Trump administration regarding the treatment of white Afrikaners, which Pretoria rejects.
The strong American presence in Cape Town nonetheless underlines the commercial weight of Africa's most industrialised economy, which hosts the continental headquarters of many multinational firms and remains a gateway for investment across the region.