US probes Nigeria, others in labour rights crackdown
The United States government has launched a trade investigation into Nigeria and 59 other countries over their alleged failure to prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labour. In a notice released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the US said it had begun a formal probe under Section 301 of […]
The United States government has launched a trade investigation into Nigeria and 59 other countries over their alleged failure to prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
In a notice released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the US said it had begun a formal probe under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to examine whether the trade practices of the affected economies are “unreasonable or discriminatory” and whether they burden American commerce.
The notice was signed by the General Counsel at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Jennifer Thornton.
The investigation, which was initiated on March 12, 2026, will examine whether Nigeria and other listed economies have failed to introduce or effectively enforce bans on the importation of goods made with forced labour.
The notice stated, “The Trade Representative is initiating investigations with respect to acts, policies, and practices of the economies listed in Annex A of this notice related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.”
Nigeria is among 60 economies named in the investigation alongside countries such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.
According to the USTR, the probe is intended to determine whether the absence of effective import bans on forced-labour goods in these economies creates unfair trade conditions that disadvantage American businesses.
The agency noted that while many countries prohibit forced labour domestically, the lack of strict controls on imports allows companies to continue sourcing products made under exploitative conditions from global supply chains.
It explained that forced labour gives producers an artificial cost advantage, allowing them to sell goods at lower prices and distort competition in international markets.
Global estimates cited by the USTR show that forced labour remains widespread. The International Labour Organisation estimates that about 28 million people were trapped in forced labour worldwide as of 2021, representing roughly 3.5 out of every 1,000 people.