Nigerian exports to the United States now face a 12.5 per cent import tariff under a sweeping new trade policy aimed at curbing forced labour in international supply chains.
The levy targets 60 global economies that Washington determined have failed to enact or effectively enforce bans on products made with forced labour, according to a statement released Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
The decision follows an extensive Section 301 investigation initiated by the USTR in May 2026. Prior to finalising the measures, federal trade officials gathered more than 1,600 written comments, heard testimony from over 100 witnesses during public hearings, and held consultations with more than 45 foreign governments.
While Nigeria falls under the standard 12.5 per cent penalty tier, several other major partners, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, secured a reduced 10 per cent rate after establishing partial trade controls or agreeing to enforce forced-labour import bans.
“President Trump recognises that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labour from global supply chains,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, emphasising the administration’s push for global compliance. “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 move marks the latest shift in U.S. trade enforcement following President Donald Trump’s invocation of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which introduced temporary universal tariffs after the Supreme Court halted earlier efforts under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In a Federal Register notice published Friday, the USTR confirmed that the 12.5 per cent rate applies across Nigerian goods, except for select line items specified in the directive. The notice outlined that the specific duties and scope were designed under presidential guidance to eliminate actionable trade practices identified during the probe.
To cushion domestic impact, the USTR clarified that duties will not apply to goods in short supply within the U.S., essential raw materials, products whose restriction could cause broad economic disruption, or specific items from nations actively adopting forced-labour bans. Certain goods were also exempted where tariffs were deemed unlikely to alter the targeted trade practices.