South Africa's foreign minister said on Friday that tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week had effectively nullified benefits Sub-Saharan African countries enjoy under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

The stiff new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump are shaking up trade ties between the United States and several African nations - many of whom have had preferential agreements with Washington for decades.

The U.S. government's imposition of steep tariffs on African nations signals the end of the AGOA trade deal that was supposed to help African economies develop through preferential access to U.S. markets,