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Trade representatives from Kenya and the US are set to hold an in-person first round of conceptual discussions under the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) in Washington, DC, from February 6th to 10th. The US delegation will be led by Assistant Trade Representative Connie Hamilton and will include representatives from several other government agencies, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a press release. The two nations launched the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) in July last year to replace...

The United States and Kenya will hold an in-person round of conceptual discussions under their Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) in Washington, DC, from February 6-10, 2023.   The United States delegation will be led by Assistant United States Trade Representative Connie Hamilton, and will include representatives from several other government agencies. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and then-Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina launched the U.S.-Kenya STIPon July 14, 2022 and...

Economic integration efforts underway in Africa and new ideas about decades-old U.S. trade policy could provide a host of options for bolstering Washington’s cornerstone trade policy program with sub-Saharan African countries, analysts and former senior officials tell Inside U.S. Trade. The African Growth and Opportunity Act, first signed into law in 2000, “has done more than people give it credit for, but it has not done nearly enough that it could and should do,” former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Florizelle Liser said in an...

US treasury secretary Janet Yellen is in town this week. While news headlines have focused on the overlapping visits to the continent of Yellen, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and China’s Qin Gang, Yellen’s comparative advantage is marked. She’s a pre-eminent economist — the first to have led the Federal Reserve, the White House council of economic advisers and the treasury — and she’s here to leverage that experience to build US-Africa relations. Fellow columnist John Dludlu recently suggested Washington’s overtures to Africa are...

The US is seeking to deepen its economic integration with South Africa in pursuit of policies to diversify global supply chains, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Closer ties with nations that share the US’s economic values will help promote so-called friendshoring, in which allies cooperate on manufacturing and sourcing raw materials, Yellen said at a meeting with South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Thursday.  Her remarks come in a week in which South Africa defended its neutral stance in Russia’s...

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) intends to issue an order imposing anti-dumping duties on lemon juice imported from South Africa and Brazil. The agency advises the US government on trade matters and intends to release a report based on its investigation by early March this year. The USITC announced on Monday that it had completed an investigation, which indicated that lemon juice imports from SA and Brazil either are materially injuring the US market or pose a threat of doing so, due to being sold at less-than-fair...

African countries may need more trade privileges with the US even as Washington reviews the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) meant to expand what the continent will export. At the end of the US-Africa summit in December, Washington pledged to renew Agoa, bringing clarity to uncertainties that had befell exporters from countries such as Kenya. But now experts say the narrow view of Agoa should be expanded to allow them to export more goods and hence benefit more countries that are able to make a diversified list of goods. “Agoa...

The second edition of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit (ALS) took place in Washington last week. Much has changed since former president Barack Obama held the inaugural summit in 2014, halfway through his second term. At that time, the geopolitical environment for strengthening ties was less fraught: global economic integration was accelerating, and Africa was “rising” from sluggish growth and persistent poverty. The initial summit was framed as an important first step in engaging with a “a new, more prosperous Africa,” as Obama put...

(1) In Proclamation 7853 of December 10, 2004, the President designated Burkina Faso as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the “Trade Act”), as added by section 111(a) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (the “AGOA”) (title I of Public Law 106-200, 114 Stat. 251, 257-58 (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(1))). (2) Section 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)) provides that the President shall terminate the designation of a country as a beneficiary...

The Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, has advocated for intensive investment in the agricultural sector as part of major plans to economically empower the African continent. The Minister made this pronouncement during the recent summit of US- African leaders in Washington DC. The US-Africa Leaders’ Summit was anchored on the shared values of fostering new economic engagement; reinforcing the US-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights; mitigating the impact of Covid-19 and future pandemics. It also focused on working...

The outcome of the US-Africa Leaders Summit once again shows why the continent is better off looking inwards for solutions. As the dust settles, the deals unveiled at the summit are coming under closer scrutiny. The $15 billion and the headline commitment by President Joe Biden to inject $55 billion into the continent over a three-year period have particularly attracted animated debate. On social media platforms, many commentators suggested that it was too little for a continent of 55 nations. Parted out evenly, that would average $360...

U.S. President Joe Biden capped a summit of 50 African leaders by stressing his administration's deep commitment to Africa, urging the continent's leaders to respect the will of their people, and saying he may come visit. The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit concluded Thursday with bonhomie, $55 billion (Sh6.8 trillion) in U.S. commitments, and this from Biden: "As I told some of you — you invited me to your countries," he said. "I said, "Be careful what you wish for because I may show up. The poor relatives always show up. The wealthy ones...

On December 14, 2022, the United States and African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Trade and Investment between the United States and the African Continental Free Trade Area (MOU) see document alongside.  The MOU  was signed by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene during the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum.  The African Continental Free Trade Area was established in March 2018 and currently...

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and more than 20 organisations have appealed for long-term renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The apparel industry of US, in a letter to President Joe Biden, urged the government to prioritise this request at the ongoing US-Africa Leaders Summit that will end on December 15, 2022. The organisations emphasised on the timely renewal of AGOA for a 10-year period, so that it would be impactful for companies hoping to grow commitments towards a vertical, responsible,...

The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, from December 13-15 in Washington DC, highlighted the U.S. commitment to expanding and deepening our partnership with African countries, institutions, and people.  Our world is quickly changing, and U.S. engagement in Africa must evolve accordingly.  African leadership and contributions are essential to addressing today’s pressing challenges and achieving shared priorities.  The Biden-Harris Administration is deepening longstanding areas of cooperation while revitalizing and expanding our...

Africa’s integration into global markets, demographic boom, and continent-wide spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation present an extraordinary opportunity for the United States to invest in Africa’s future.   The United States will support and facilitate mobilizing private capital to fuel economic growth, job creation, and greater U.S. participation in Africa’s future.   Together, business and government leaders will strengthen trade- and investment-enabling environments, including fostering the development and...

African leaders face a dilemma over trade relations with the United States. Should they push for the extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) or for each country’s bilateral trade deal with the world’s biggest economy? AGOA was the signature economic policy of the Bill Clinton administration. It provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products. It is set to expire in 2025 but is up for discussion at the annual forum on AGOA taking place alongside the...

 As President Joe Biden hosts nearly 50 African leaders in a summit aiming to boost U.S.-Africa relations, one prominent issue has circulated across the Hill: the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is set to expire in 2025.  What is it? The 22-year-old program works to provide eligible sub-Saharan African nations with additional duty-free access to more than 1,800 designated products, with the aim of assisting the countries and easing economic relations between the U.S. and Africa.  Senate...

The duty-free access for nearly 40 African countries in a 22-year-old U.S. trade program is no longer enough to boost their development and a focus on improving investment is needed, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Tuesday. Tai, after a meeting with African counterparts at the start of a Sub-Saharan African leaders summit in Washington, said the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) needs improving to foster more equitable and sustainable growth.  Speaking at a U.S. Export-Import Bank conference, Tai said ministers...

For only the second time in eight years, leaders from the United States and Africa will meet next week in the nation’s capital to discuss economic matters and other topics. President Joe Biden is expected to host roughly more than 50 African heads of state from Dec. 13 through Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C., at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022.  The fresh effort is aimed to “demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa and emphasize the significance of building new relations between both...

8 years after former US President Obama had African leaders come over to the US capital, President Biden, then Vice President of the US, has replicated the gesture of his former principal.  This week more than 40 African heads of state were in Washington D.C for the second US-Africa Leaders Summit. Leader-to-leader meetings were expected but not announced in the lead-up to the summit. Ultimately, Biden failed to hold any talks directly with African heads of state. That role fell to Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, who held talks...

As the United States looks to usher in a “new version” of globalization focused on resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability, it has eyes on its economic relationship with Africa, according to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Tai spoke at an Atlantic Council Front Page event on Friday alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) secretary-general, Wamkele Mene. She explained that the current form of globalization has done a great job to expand the size of the economic pie, but it “hasn’t done a...

MEDIA ADVISORY   |  December 7  Digital Press Briefing on U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit with U.S. Department of State Bureau of African Affairs Assistant Secretary of State, Molly Phee, and National Security Council Senior Director for African Affairs, Judd Devermont.  EVENT:  Please join us on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, for a digital press briefing with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Assistant Secretary of State, Molly Phee and National Security Council Senior Director...

In early August, with its release of its strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa, the Biden-Harris administration laid out a bold vision for a 21st-century US-Africa partnership. The strategy and the upcoming Africa Leaders Summit, which President Biden and his deputy Harris will host in December, comes at the right time. Africa’s economic transformation — spurred by its young and rapidly urbanising populations, digitalisation initiatives, abundant natural and human resources, and a continent-wide commitment to free trade — has proceeded...

The president and CEO of the Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa talks to African Business ahead of the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December. The US-Africa Leaders Summit takes place in Washington, DC, from December 13 to 15 2022. With 49 African leaders invited, the meeting is due to cover multiple aspects of the relationship between the US and Africa, including economic engagement, security, education, health and climate-related issues. Florie Liser has headed the Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa since...

Despite disruptions to the world economy, the Biden administration has delivered on its bid to ramp up trade and investment with Africa, says Laird Treiber of the CSIS.   In the context of the global food, fuel and pandemic crises, how do you think Washington’s Africa policy has shaped up compared to President Joe Biden’s predecessors? The Biden team has done a pretty good job of coordinating with allies, the IMF, international bodies, the World Bank and others. There has been a host of disruptions to production and global...

Gabon announced Thursday plans to inject around $20.5 million to support exports towards the U.S over next three years, reports say. Yves Fernand Manfoumbi, the Minister of Trade of the African country, announced the move adding that the strategy will tap into support from bilateral and multilateral financial partners. “This strategy will be financed by multilateral and bilateral financial partners and, of course, by direct financing from the State’s resources,” Manfoumbi said. “The activities planned each year will be subject to...

I’m honored to speak to you tonight, both as the U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and as an honorary Member of the Board of AmCham. I have had the great pleasure to work with AMCHAMs around the world during my career and believe that this is one of the critical relationships for the U.S. government. Central to the United States’ goal of promoting peace and prosperity abroad is encouraging good governance and economic development.  Now more than ever, countries need to cooperate as we jointly face global challenges – from the...

Over three days in December, President Joe Biden will host the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.--the first head of state gathering of African leaders and a U.S. president since 2014.  The Summit, taking place from December 13-15, 2022, includes a CEO business forum on December 14 called the U.S.-Africa Business Forum (USABF) for which the Chamber is an official partner. The business forum focuses on growing the commercial partnership between the U.S. and Africa, with priority discussion topics including the...

President Biden is hosting leaders from across the African continent in Washington, DC on December 13-15, 2022, for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. The Summit will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa, and will underscore the importance of U.S.-Africa relations and increased cooperation on shared global priorities. Africa will shape the future — not just the future of the African people, but of the world. Africa will make the difference in tackling the most urgent challenges and seizing the...

Sericulture or silk farming is practised in many countries, with China and India dominating the global market, accounting for over 60 per cent of the yield. An acre of land can produce silk worth Ksh1,800,000 annually and the product is considered to have a sustainable market in the European Union (EU), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA - United States)  and Far East Markets. Kenya has a favourable climate for silk farming, as it does well at temperatures between 23⁰-28⁰C. It also thrives in high humidity areas with...

Manufactures in Kenya are banking on the pending trade deal with the US to grow the sectors’ contribution to the GDP and create jobs. The sector targets a 20 per cent contribution to economy by  2030. This will be driven by an increase in production of high quality products that will help expand supply and grow exports, the Kenya Association of Manufactures (KAM) has said. “AGOA has provided a significant market for Kenya’s textiles and apparels sector over the years, and we look forward to sustained preferential market access...

Representatives from 32 United States agribusiness firms arrived in Kenya on October 30 as part of an American government delegation scouting for trade opportunities. The US food firms are looking for new and expanded markets in Kenya for their crops. Kenya currently faces food insecurity and also wants to seal a trade deal with Americas. Nairobi has been pressured by Washington to allow access to its genetically modified (GM) food and crop products and this month gave approval to GM imports, providing a huge market opportunity for...

Kenya and the US will be taking another shot at the dragging trade talks with hopes of reaching a deal before the year 2025. This is when the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) lapses. AGOA eliminates import tariffs on goods from eligible African nations, with its coming to an end putting countries under pressure to secure a pact that will see them continue to enjoy preferential trade terms. President William Ruto’s warm relationship with the US is seen as a possible catalyst for the process, which has suffered back-to-back...

U.S. President Joe Biden revealed on Wednesday his intent to exclude Burkina Faso from a U.S.-Africa trade pact, citing a lack of progress toward protecting the rule of law and political pluralism. Biden said that Washington will terminate Burkina Faso's designation as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), starting January 2023 as it has not met"eligibility requirements." The decision follows two coups that shook the Sahel nation this year as a result of frustration over the...

President Ruto has said Kenya is ready for more trade deals with the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program, which gives Kenya and 40 other sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for over 6,000 products. Ruto, who hosted a US delegation at State House, Nairobi, on Monday, said the country has plenty more to offer the United States as a trade partner. "Kenya largely exports apparel products to the USA with potential to export more products including value-added tea, coffee, and cut flowers,"...

Representatives from 32 US agribusiness firms are set to jet into Kenya on Sunday as part of an American government delegation scouting for trade opportunities. The US food firms are looking for new and expanded markets in Kenya for their crops. Kenya currently faces food insecurity and also wants to seal a trade deal with Americas. Nairobi has been pressured by Washington to allow access to its genetically modified (GM) food and crop products and this month gave approval to GM imports, providing a huge market opportunity for American...

With the desire to bridge the nine months gap between Senior 6 vacation and university admission, Seko Designs was born. As a Year Two university student, Agnes Kitumba Nitunze, the chief executive officer Seko Designs met Elizabeth Bohannon, an American volunteer to start a journey that birthed the company.  “Seko saw that these energetic youth were idle thus some married off, getting early pregnancies while others did not see the need to further their education. As such, we sought to tap into that energy. The other thing was to...

President Ruto has said the United States has overtaken the United Kingdom to become Kenya's premier trading partner. Ruto, who spoke during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens on Thursday, said Kenya will continue strategic engagements with key development partners like the US and the UK, which has been the country’s premier trading partner for a long time. "We also remain devoted to our strategic engagements with key development partners like the United States, which is now Kenya’s premier trading partner, as well as the...

A delegation from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), along with a high-level delegation of South African business leaders and public sector representatives, visited New York this week to promote the country as a favourable investment destination to US-based institutional investors.  The South African delegation hosted the South Africa Macro Seminar in New York, where discussions focused on the importance of boosting bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries in the wake of the Covid-19...

At the end of September 2022, the United States overtook Uganda to be Kenya's leading export market. US ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman accredited the milestone to the ongoing agreement between Kenya and the America under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). According to Whitman, since the implementation of the Act, parallel export to the US increased drastically. "AGOA has been an amazing success story. Just recently the US was announced as Kenya's largest export market. We were number two and now we are number one and...

Africa is on the cusp of an economic transformation. By 2050, consumer and business spending on the continent is expected to reach roughly $16.1 trillion. The coming boom offers tremendous opportunities for global businesses – especially US companies looking for new markets. But unless African policymakers remove existing barriers to regional trade and investment, the continent’s economy will struggle to reach its true potential. Two major trade agreements – the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) and the African Continental...

The U.S. Meat Export Federation recently submitted comments (  see document alongside) to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. Cheyenne McEndaffer, USMEF senior director of export services, says that USMEF highlighted several non-tariff barriers and potential trade obstacles, including concerns about Kenya's burdensome import license system, restrictions on transshipment of products and a lack of clarity on import veterinary drug residue and...

The Biden administration has been clear that none of its trade negotiations cover tariffs. That includes talks with the U.K., the EU and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership talks with Kenya. In Kenya’s case, the country already has duty-free access to the United States for most of its goods under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. But the Biden administration has not said yet whether it supports renewal of that legislation, which expires in 2025. So, in comments filed with...

The pursuit of a new trade pact between Washington and Kenya is eliciting old fears on whether it could hurt adherence to obligations under the East African Community, and hence continental ambitions for more commerce. The US has confirmed it is willing to restart negotiations on a future trade pact with Nairobi once a substantive government is formed by President William Ruto. And although Washington says any trade agreements in Africa will adhere to the ambitions of more integration and trade as per the African Union, some of the...

The United States of America has expressed interest in resuming trade with the East African nation of Kenya. The resumption of trade between both nations is a welcomed development according to both parties, assuming the interest of both players is protected.  Tension surmounting between these two nations results from the potential tax that could be imposed on their businesses should they commence trade with each other.  The US has expressed its willingness to resume its trade pact with Kenya once a substantive government is...

The United States has overtaken Uganda to become the largest market for Kenyan goods, according to a report by Business Daily. Citing official data, the publication reported that Kenya’s exports to the US grew by 47 percent to Sh38.8 billion in the first half of the year, ending Uganda’s 10-year dominance as the leading export destination for Kenya-made goods. In the period under review, Ugandan consumers bought Sh36.2 billion worth of Kenyan goods down from Sh36.3 billion in the same period last year. Kenya and the US are currently...

There was agreement on the need to create a more attractive environment for American companies to invest in South Africa. These are just some of the sentiments echoed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as he concluded his official working visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Joe Biden. Ramaphosa landed on Thursday in Washington DC, in the United States of America.  The two leaders deliberated on a range of critical issues of national, regional, and global importance during their bilateral meeting, where trade,...

Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the meeting with the congressional black caucus and anti-apartheid veterans during his visit to the United States: Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Dr Naledi Pandor South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, Ms Nomaindia Mfeketo Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ms Joyce Beatty Spokesperson of the Rainbow Push Coalition, Prof Jonathan Jackson Friends, We are extremely grateful that our friends in Congressional Black Caucus and the...

Winning the US president’s support for a further extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, which gives South African exports duty-free and quota-free access to the lucrative US market, will be a high priority for Pretoria. Trade, rather than the war in Ukraine, is likely to top the agenda of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday. That, at least, is how Pretoria sees it. However, Pretoria came a little closer this week to condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine,...