The United States has lengthened the list of trade penalties against Nigeria by imposing a 12.5 per cent tariff on most Nigerian imports over allegations linked to forced labour. The new measure is part of a wider action against 60 economies that Washington says have not effectively banned the importation of goods produced with forced labour .
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the tariffs followed a Section 301 investigation launched in March 2026 into the trade practices of major U.S. partners. The agency said the probe was aimed at determining whether those economies had failed to impose and enforce bans on goods made with forced labour, and whether that created an unfair burden on U.S. commerce .
The USTR said it received more than 1,600 written submissions, held public hearings involving over 100 witnesses and consulted more than 45 governments before announcing the tariffs.
