The United States (U.S.) government has officially made a U-turn on its decision to impose a 15% tariff on Ghana’s cocoa and selected agricultural goods exported to the country.

Some of the agricultural products include cashew nuts, avocado, banana, mango, orange, lime, plantain, pineapple, guava, coconut, ginger and assorted peppers.

With the new development, Ghana stands a chance of earning about $60 million more per year from selling cocoa to the U.S.This revelation was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a post on X on Monday, November 24. According to him, the 15% tariff reversal was effected earlier this month.

He added, “The United States Administration has officially informed the Government of Ghana that President Trump’s 15% imposition of tariffs on cocoa and certain qualifying agricultural products from Ghana has been rescinded. US diplomats confirm to me that the 15% tariff reversal came into effect on November 13, 2025, following President Trump’s new Executive Order.”

“Other agricultural products from Ghana now exempted include cashew nut, avocado, banana, mango, orange, lime, plantain, pineapple, guava, coconut, ginger and assorted peppers. With an estimated annual Ghanaian cocoa beans export to the US averaging 78,000 metric tons, and at current spot price of $5,300/MT, Ghana stands to raise additional revenue of US$60 million (GHS667million) each year resulting from Trump’s tariff rescission.

Ghana welcomes this positive development from the US which is the world’s leading importer of chocolate and cocoa products.”He concluded that Ghana and the USA will continue to forge closer and mutually beneficial relations.

On Friday, July 31, the United States of America’s (U.S.A.) President Donald J. Trump issued a new executive order imposing a fifteen percent (15%) ad valorem tariff on Ghana’s exports.This means Ghanaian goods shipped to the U.S. would attract a 15% tax based on their price. Thus, a product priced at $100 would cost $115 as a result of the $15 tariff.

The U.S. government explained that this measure forms part of ongoing efforts to protect its economy, as the country buys more goods from abroad than it sells.

According to the Executive Order, “These modifications shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m.” The policy was expected to affect Ghanaian goods entering the U.S. in the following days and was also expected to affect several countries, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi, Lesotho, and Madagascar.

Additionally, countries such as South Africa and Libya were to face a 30% tariff, while Tunisia was set to face a 25% tariff. Meanwhile, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and Ghana’s Trade Ministry were yet to respond to the tariff announcement.

The tariff adjustment also came at a time when the Ghanaian government was implementing tax reforms aimed at eliminating excessive compounded taxes that raise the cost of goods and services.

Although the measure was premised on the principle of reciprocity, President Trump insisted in the executive order that the United States had been unfairly disadvantaged by trade barriers erected by other countries.

The policy affected numerous Ghanaian exports, especially those under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which previously offered duty-free access to the U.S. market.

Ghanaian officials criticised the move, arguing that the U.S. could not claim the tariffs were intended to protect domestic industries.

Ghana was not alone in facing the challenge, and the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) began coordinating a collective response.

Some African nations, such as Lesotho, could have faced import duties of up to 50%. AGOA, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to provide duty-free access for African exports, remains in effect but now faces new scrutiny in light of the broader U.S. trade policy shift.

In 2022, two-way trade between AGOA members and the U.S. exceeded $46 billion, with imports surpassing exports by $13.5 billion. That year, AGOA members exported $30 billion worth of goods to the U.S., of which $10.2 billion were sold under the duty-free AGOA preference.

However, with AGOA’s framework set to expire in September, there are growing concerns that the Trump administration’s stance may hinder renewal efforts.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government announced a new 10% tariff on exports, but the then U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, insisted the new global tariff adjustments could benefit Ghana more than other countries.

In an interview with Citi News on Monday, May 26, she explained that the 10% tariff on exports to the U.S. could work in Ghana’s favour, as the nation’s key exports—oil and gas—were not affected, while rival countries faced significantly higher tariffs.

“There were 10% applied globally, which the new US administration has taken, that may in the short term [be] to Ghana’s advantage, vis-à-vis its competitors. Oil and gas, which is being [a] major exporter to the US, is not subject to the tariff. If Ghana faces a 10% tariff, Bangladesh and Vietnam face 47% and 63%,” she said.

According to her, Ghana was in a comparatively better position in the U.S. market compared to 60 countries facing much higher tariff rates. “There were 60 countries where tariffs were much higher than 10%, which may be an advantage for Ghana in the near term. I hope that Ghana will be the one making that point to the American legislature when it expires at the end of September [2025],” she added.

Virginia Palmer therefore urged Ghana’s leadership to seize the opportunity to persuade the U.S. government to renew the trade benefit before its expiry in September.

She emphasised that Ghana remains a valued partner. Trade analysts, however, suggest that the U.S. may be unintentionally encouraging African countries to forge closer economic ties with China.

In July, the U.S. Department of State—Bureau of Consular Affairs—limited the number of entries and duration granted under non-immigrant visa classifications.

Ghanaian visa applicants, including those applying for B-class visas—which cover business and tourism travel—will now be issued single-entry visas valid for only three months.

They will no longer have access to the five-year multiple-entry visa. The updated guidelines, published under the U.S. Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents schedule, also affect student visa applicants.

F-1 visa holders, typically enrolled in full-time academic programmes in the U.S., will now receive visas that allow for a single entry and expire after three months.

Diplomats and government officials will, however, continue to receive multiple-entry visas with validity ranging from 24 to 60 months.

The K1 visa, issued to the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen, and the K2 visa, issued to their unmarried dependent child (under 21), will now be single-entry visas valid for six months.

The K3 visa, for the foreign-citizen spouse of a U.S. citizen, and the K4 visa, for their unmarried dependent child, will remain multiple-entry visas valid for 24 months.

All other visa applicants, including B-class visa applicants, will now receive single-entry visas valid for three months. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has debunked reports claiming it is responsible for the U.S. government's revision of the reciprocity schedule for several African countries, including Ghana.

The ministry noted that, consistent with bilateral arrangements, U.S. passport holders are entitled to a maximum visa validity of five years, and in most cases, five-year multiple-entry visas are issued upon request. “Some applicants, however, apply for single-entry visas owing largely to limited validity of their passports,” a statement released by the ministry read.

In addition to the maximum five-year multiple-entry visa, Ghana also issues multiple-entry visas valid for six months, one year, two years, three years, and four years based on various considerations. From January 2025 to date, 40,648 visas have been issued by Ghana’s missions in Washington, D.C., and New York. Out of this number, 28,626 are multiple-entry visas.

The statement further indicated that “The official statistics clearly demonstrate that, contrary to false narratives, Ghana has issued, on average, an impressive 70.42% of multiple long-term visas to U.S. passport holders, consistent with our bilateral arrangements.”