Despite Ethiopia’s duty free status under AGOA, its total exports to the U.S. in 2007 was only $81 million. That may equal one month shipment of gold by Al Amoudi to Saudi. Comparing with other African countries, Nigeria’s exports to the U.S. in 2007: $20 billion; South Africa: $258 million; Botswana: $100 million.

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopian exports to the United States have doubled since 2005 under the AGOA trade pact the Horn of Africa nation joined seven years ago, the US embassy here said Thursday in a statement.

“Since the project’s inauguration two years ago, Ethiopian exports under AGOA/General System of Preference (GSP) have increased by almost 100 percent to 8.9 million dollars (5.9 million euros) in 2007, much higher than the average national exports growth rate over the past five years,” the US embassy said in the statement sent to AFP.

Ethiopia is one of several African countries eligible to participate in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a pact formed in 2000 that gives exports from the world’s poorest countries of the continent duty-free status on the US market.

“We are on the verge of a major breakthrough where companies in the US and elsewhere are starting to recognize Ethiopia as a place to do business and our exporters are starting to open their eyes to the world of opportunities that exist in the export sector,” project director for Ethiopia Addis Alemayehu was quoted as saying in the statement.

Ethiopia’s total exports to the United States, which include leading export items such as coffee and spices, have also risen from 61 million dollars (40.4 million euros) in 2005 to 81 million (58.2 million euros) in 2007, an increase of almost 30 percent, according to the statement.