Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and US President Donald Trump are set to meet on Thursday for discussions on a new trade deal post the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (Agoa).
Bloomberg described the meeting as ‘America’s first such deal with a sub-Saharan country’ and Kenya will be seeking to secure her exports to the US market under preferential terms as well as initiate new trade pacts.
In a statement, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena-Mararo says Kenya is working closely with the US government in crafting a trading arrangement that guarantees continued market access for Kenya’s products in the US market after the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) comes to an end in 2025.
“While in Washington DC, President Kenyatta is expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior US government officials and those from the private sector. During meetings with American business membership groups, President Kenyatta will be expected to pitch for Kenya as an ideal business, investment, and tourism destination,” she said in a statement.
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The Kenyan cabinet approved the commencement of talks with the United States of America on the establishment of a free trade arrangement that “will help Kenyan goods to have smooth access to the expansive US consumer market especially as the Agoa pact comes to an end.”
1/8 Cabinet today approved the commencement of talks with the United States of America on the establishment of a free trade arrangement between the two countries. pic.twitter.com/c6pGh4haRx
— State House Kenya (@StateHouseKenya) January 30, 2020
Currently, Kenya enjoys Duty-Free Quota Free access to the US market, making the US the third-largest export destination for Kenya.
According to Bloomberg, “The Trump administration wants the accord to be a model for future pacts with other nations in the region, one of the people said, declining to be identified because the talks are private.”
US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter on his Tweeter said “I am expecting a victorious week coming up. Win-Win for Kenya and the US in many ways.”
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