Kenya, US negotiating strategic trade partnership – President Ruto
By Joel Sang, June 21, 2024
President William Ruto has said that Kenya and the United States are working on a strategic trade and investment plan.
The Head of State made the comment after meeting a team of US Congress members visiting Kenya, led by Congressman Vern Buchanan, at State House Nairobi.
“Africa is seeking increased trade and market access to the United States. The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), which was introduced 25 years ago and is set to expire next February, has provided a huge market for African finished products.
“Kenya has therefore been urging the US Congress to extend AGOA because it is mutually beneficial to our two countries. Kenya and the US are negotiating a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, which will take the relationship between the two countries to the next level,” Ruto said in a statement on X, on Friday, June 21, 2024.
The engagements continued months after President Ruto made a state visit to the US and met with the country’s president, Joe Biden.
AGOA pact
AGOA is a trade agreement between the US and the Sub-Saharan countries, and it was legislated and approved by the U.S. Congress in May 2000. The purpose of this legislation is to assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and to improve economic relations between the United States and the region.
After completing its initial 15-year period of validity, the AGOA legislation was extended on June 29, 2015, by a further 10 years, to 2025.
Meanwhile, last year in October, the United States expelled Ethiopia, Mali, and Guinea from the AGOA programme over what they called human rights violations as well as coups in the west African countries.
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