Following Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping global tariffs, garment workers in Lesotho are facing significant job insecurity. Last year, Lesotho, which has a population of 2.3 million, exported approximately 20% of its $1.1 billion to the US, mainly clothing and diamonds, under a tariff-free trade agreement aimed at assisting African nations. However, Trump’s imposition of a 50% tariff on the country could jeopardize these exports, as he claimed that Lesotho was a “country nobody had ever heard of.”

Makhotso Moeti, a worker who migrated to Lesotho’s capital, Maseru, from the rural areas, faces uncertainty. She has been working in factories for years and fears that if the factories close, she will have to return to poverty. Economists have criticized Trump’s tariffs, labeling the formula used to calculate the rates as “idiotic.” Lesotho has the highest tariff rate, followed by Madagascar, Botswana, Angola, and South Africa.

Lesotho’s garment industry, which accounts for about 20% of the country’s GDP, employs around 30,000 people, mostly women. Many of these jobs pay the monthly minimum wage of $146-$163 and are highly sought after. The future of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa), which granted tariff-free access to the US market, is also uncertain, with Lesotho’s trade minister planning to argue for an extension.

Ketakandriana Rafitoson, a researcher at the Catholic University of Madagascar, stated that the textile and apparel sector is a cornerstone of Madagascar’s economy, and the tariffs will have a drastic effect. The White House fact sheet accompanying Trump’s announcement argued that the tariffs simply asked other countries to treat the US

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/04/lesotho-garment-workers-reel-trump-tariffs