Nigeria listed among 60 nations affected by new US tariffs

Nigeria is among 60 trading partners affected by a new round of tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.

The new tariffs range between 10 percent and 12.5 percent and apply to countries responsible for 99.4 percent of goods imported into the United States.

According to the US administration, the affected countries did not do enough to address the importation of products allegedly made with forced labour.

The latest measures replace the 10 percent global tariff introduced by the Trump administration in February, which has now expired.

Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said the tariffs came into force on Thursday following a directive from the president.

“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” Greer said in a statement.

The tariffs will apply to goods imported from Nigeria and the other affected countries, with exemptions for raw materials that are essential to domestic supply, products that could trigger economy-wide disruptions, and items that cannot be produced in adequate quantities within the US or sourced elsewhere.

The move marks another step in the trade dispute that has intensified since Trump returned to the White House last year.

In April, Trump imposed broad tariffs on imports into the US, including a 14 percent duty on goods from Nigeria.

In August, Nigeria and several other African countries were again affected after Trump signed an executive order introducing a 15 percent import tariff.

Several of the affected countries, including Canada, which was subjected to additional tariffs on Monday, have criticised the latest decision.

Australia and Brazil described the tariffs as unjustified and said they would push for their removal, while Norway said there was “no basis” for the action.

The European Union (EU) said Washington’s justification for the tariffs was not convincing, while China described the decision as “political manipulation”.