The purpose of this paper is to show how the pattern of trade relations between the USA and African countries is gradually shifting toward reciprocity. It therefore demonstrates that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was conceived to be a building block toward future bilateral trade agreements.,This paper adopts a historical approach to the USA’s policy toward Africa in general and in trade matters in particular. It critically reviews the chronology of US involvement in the continent.,Although it was designed as a preferential trade arrangement, AGOA was intended to evolve into reciprocal trade agreements. This is what the USA started doing even prior to the entry into force of the AGOA, by entering into Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with individual countries or blocs. It also transpires that the deployment comes as a response to the European Union which is already engaged in the redefinition of its own trade relations with Africa since 2004.,The paper is important in many respects. Not only it is a study of the US practice as preference-granting country, but it is also interested in the typology of trade agreements concluded by the USA in other regions of the world. This is important to indicate and analyze the types of provisions African countries should be expected to face when the time of entering into reciprocal binding trade treaties arrives.

中文翻译：

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AGOA是美非自由贸易协定的垫脚石

本文的目的是说明美国与非洲国家之间的贸易关系模式是如何逐渐向对等转变的。因此，它表明，《非洲增长和机会法》（AGOA）被认为是未来双边贸易协定的基石。本文对美国对非洲的政策，特别是在贸易问题上采取了历史性方法。它严格审查了美国参与该大陆的时间顺序。尽管它是作为优惠贸易安排而设计的，但AGOA旨在发展为互惠贸易协定。这就是美国甚至在AGOA生效之前就开始通过与各个国家或集团签署《贸易和投资框架协议》而开始做的事情。这也说明，部署是对自2004年以来一直致力于重新定义其与非洲贸易关系的欧洲联盟的回应。该论文在许多方面都很重要。它不仅是对美国作为给予优惠的国家的惯例的研究，而且对美国在世界其他地区缔结的贸易协定的类型也很感兴趣。这对于表明和分析在订立相互具有约束力的贸易条约的时间到来时非洲国家应面对的规定类型非常重要。但它也对美国在世界其他地区缔结的贸易协定的类型感兴趣。这对于表明和分析在订立相互具有约束力的贸易条约的时间到来时非洲国家应面对的规定类型非常重要。但它也对美国在世界其他地区缔结的贸易协定的类型感兴趣。这对于表明和分析在订立相互具有约束力的贸易条约的时间到来时非洲国家应面对的规定类型非常重要。