AGOA Expiry Will Impact African Jobs, FirstRand CEO Says

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00:00Our clients that operate in sectors where they export and they've been beneficiaries of Agoa

00:06are already making plans, but I mean, there's no doubt that it's going to have an impact on jobs.

00:11It's going to have an impact on just those companies' ability to grow, and more so the

00:16countries on the continent. I think South African countries now reading the leaves for the last

00:23couple of months, they are not betting on Agoa being renewed. It would be great if it's actually

00:29renewed, but I think that they are making alternative plans. But I mean, across the

00:33continent, some markets are, you know, they don't have the kind of resources to be able to diversify

00:38away. So again, hopefully that's one that it goes through Congress and it's again supported, but

00:44yeah, I mean, I think there's also quite a high likelihood that that's not the one where South

00:49Africa is able to be successful. I mean, if you look at Botswana and Lesotho, some of our

00:54neighboring regions, you know, their tariffs are lower and South Africa is higher. So we cannot

00:58discount the fact that, you know, there's a political tension there that might get in the

01:02way.