Lesotho Hardest Hit As New US Tariffs Rattle Africa

Lesotho's clothing industry is the largest employer in the tiny kingdom which fears the impact of new sweeping US tariffs (Credit: AFP)

The small African kingdom of Lesotho feared the worst for its textile industry Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed 50-percent tariffs on its imports, the highest for a single nation.

Other African countries hit with Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" above the new baseline rate of 10 percent include Madagascar (47 percent), Mauritius (40 percent), Botswana (37 percent), Equatorial Guinea (30 percent) and South Africa (30 percent).