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President Cyril Ramaphosa is the first African leader invited to the Oval Office since the release of the Biden administration’s “US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa”. That he is meeting president Biden so soon after seeing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken attests to the importance Biden attaches to the US-SA relationship. Biden is not going to repeat the mistake of calling Ramaphosa “my point man in Africa”, as George W Bush said of Thabo Mbeki. Unspoken, however, is the administration’s conviction that without South...

Going by the Ministry of Trade and AGOA country response office statistics, the last three financial years provide a solid case for the extension of the initiative falling under the US Trade Act (legislation) and at the same time give a proper assessment of what is in store for this programme if efforts to get it right are not only consolidated, but harnessed as well. Over the last three years, most part of which, the country in particular and the globe in general, were under key and lock, resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and the...

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, at the weekend, said the state’s garment factory will be inaugurated this year with a take off capacity to hire 2,000 direct labour. Speaking with dozens of APC youths, progressive social media influencers, and some online news publishers on Saturday, the governor said the idea is to make Kwara a hub for garment production, which can then benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the United States and other economic benefits.    The governor added that other...

President Biden is delivering on his commitment to make Africa a priority for the United States. Most notable is his administration’s sharp uptick in U.S. diplomacy toward the region. With visits to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal last November, Morocco and Algeria in March, and South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited the continent three times in just 10 months. This frequency of outreach is a first for any U.S. cabinet official, let alone a secretary of state...

The East African Community (EAC) partner states have been challenged to increase their volume of transactions under regional and international trade agreements. The region’s private sector trade block, East Africa Business Council, said it is imperative for the region to take advantage of opportunities such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Economic partnership agreement, to advance trade within the EAC. According to the EABC chairperson, Angelina Ngalula, the region has not...

On August 11, USAID Mission Director Helen Pataki, joined by His Excellency the Minister of Industry and Trade Silvino Augusto José Moreno, His Excellency Governor of the Maputo Province Júlio Parruque, and other partners recognized the continuing successes of Mozambican exporters in 2022. [ Scroll to the bottom to view a video of the event ] This was at the second edition of the Annual Exporter Awards, a collaboration between the U.S. Government, the Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEX), and the Confederation of Economic...

President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking views from American and Kenyan firms on the proposed fresh free trade window as it lays grounds for a new pact. The call follows fresh trade talks Washington opened with Nairobi in July. The United States Trade Representative Office (USTR), which has been spearheading the talks, said comments received from interested parties will help the USTR as it develops negotiating objectives and positions for the agreement.   The deadline for the submission of written comments is September...

Kenya has struggled to attract long-term, capital-intensive investments under the more than two decades-Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) deal with the US largely because of the pact’s expiry clause, the Trade minister has said. Betty Maina, the Industrialization and Trade secretary, says big-ticket investors have not been keen on setting up factories for duty- and mostly quota-free exports into the expansive US market, limiting the product lines to large articles of apparel. “You don’t attract long-term investments if you don’t...

Sub-Saharan Africa plays a critical role in advancing global priorities to the benefit of Africans and Americans.    It has one of the world’s fastest growing populations, largest free trade areas, most diverse ecosystems, and one of the largest regional voting groups in the United Nations (UN).  It is impossible to meet today’s defining challenges without African contributions and leadership.  The region will factor prominently in efforts to: end the COVID-19 pandemic; tackle the climate crisis; reverse the global...

The US unveiled a new strategy to forge closer relations with Sub-Saharan Africa, while contending that China and Russia were motivated by narrow self-interests in their attempts to strengthen ties with the region. With one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, largest free-trade areas by geographical area and most diverse set of ecosystems, Africa has a critical role to play in addressing the world’s defining challenges, the White House said in a document released Monday (download it here) to coincide with secretary of state...

On his visit to South Africa, one of US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken's major highlights was his address at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Institute on Monday. It was there where he unveiled a new US strategy for relations with Sub-Saharan Africa. Below are parts of his transcribed speech, edited for clarity: Introducing new US ambassador to SA Let me just take a moment at the start also to welcome someone else, our ambassador-designate to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, who will present his credentials to President...

Trade and customs issues are included in, but do not constitute a major component of, a new U.S. strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa announced this week by the Biden administration. However, a recent report raises the possibility that the U.S. could yet pursue trade preference program changes, trade liberalization initiatives, and other efforts to further increase trade with Africa. The strategy states that the U.S. will “build on existing programs and policies to increase U.S. investment and trade with Africa,” focusing on sectors...

Last year, the US’s Biden administration announced plans to increase two-way trade and investment between the US and Africa. The starting point was a revamp of the Trump-era “Prosper Africa initiative”. What sort of trade arrangement is the US proposing? In July 2021, the Biden-Harris administration launched the Prosper Africa Build Together Campaign. The idea was to elevate and energise the US’s commitment to trade and investment with countries across the African continent. The revamped Trump strategy includes a targeted,...

Today, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States to Namibia Jessica Long and representatives of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), together with the Namibian Government, reflected on the past six years of the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub).  The event in Windhoek brought together stakeholders from the Namibian market to share experiences, successes, and lessons learned in enhancing the flow of trade and capital between Namibia, South Africa, and the United...

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced she will host a meeting of sub-Saharan African trade ministers and senior officials on December 13, 2022.  The ministerial meeting will occur during the week of the United States-Africa Leaders’ Summit that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced last week.  The meeting will discuss expanding trade and investment relations and implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).     “The 2022 Africa Growth...

Remarks by Vice President Harris to the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Summit As Prepared for Delivery Greetings from Washington, D.C. I want to thank the Corporate Council on Africa, the Kingdom of Morocco, and His Majesty King Mohammed for hosting the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Summit. I am honored to participate in this opening ceremony. President Joe Biden and I recognize the critical importance of strengthening our relationship with countries across Africa. To that end, I will start with some very important news. President Biden and I are...

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the United States will bring together leaders from across the African continent for a major summit in December in Washington to discuss pressing challenges from food security to climate change. "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," Biden said in a statement. The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, scheduled for Dec. 13-15, was announced...

The United States has not ruled out more comprehensive trade negotiations with Kenya after launching a strategic trade and investment partnership with the African country on Thursday, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi told Reuters. Bianchi said U.S. trade officials viewed the agreement with Kenya as a potential model for other countries. Officials would focus in coming months on hammering out high-standard agreements in areas such as agriculture safety and digital trade standards, climate change and customs procedures. She...

Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) applauded the launch of the United States-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, “Today’s announcement that the United States will be furthering our partnership with a key trading partner, Kenya, is a welcome advancement in our trade relationship, and I thank USTR Ambassador Tai for her leadership in launching this initiative. “Kenya is a recognized leader across the continent and an important partner of the United States. This initiative will lay...

During a virtual meeting today, United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai, and Kenya's Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Cabinet Secretary, Betty Maina, launched the United States-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP).   Building on their June 13, 2022 meeting in Geneva, Ambassador Tai and Cabinet Secretary Maina agreed that their governments will pursue enhanced engagement leading to high standard commitments in a wide range of areas with a view to increasing investment;...

The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) urged the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), as U.S. brands and retailers look to diversify sourcing. While the trade agreement’s expiration is still three years away, the Washington, D.C.-based trade group believes that establishing long-term, forward-looking policy will help brands commit to new sourcing strategies with the 36 AGOA-eligible sub-Saharan African nations. “U.S. investment in the region...

The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) is urging the US Trade Representative (USTR) to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for at least another ten years, noting as companies are poised to diversify out of China, Africa is a logical place for many of them. In a letter to William Shpiece, chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee for USTR, Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy for the AAFA, says if AGOA were to be renewed this year for at least another ten years, companies would have the...

The US government on Monday started reshaping trade deals with Kenya to reflect the priorities of the Joe Biden administration, American officials said. The US and Kenya agreed to discuss an “ambitious” trade arrangement with “high-standard commitments” in key areas including agriculture, digital trade and climate change, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Monday. The USTR stated this after the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Kenya's Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina met on Monday...

Kenya and the US have revisited trade talks between the two countries as ministers meet at the World Trade Organization's 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva. As a next step, the two countries have agreed to work to finalise a list of areas for cooperation to deepen economic engagement. This was during an engagement between the US Trade Representative ambassador Katherine Tai and Kenya’s Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina. The two have agreed to meet again in the coming weeks to...

The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has sought partnership with Nigerian shippers to maximally utilise the United States’ African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA is a key component of US/African strategy that focuses on increasing African non-oil exports to the US. The Executive Secretary of the Abuja chapter of NACC, Ayo Salaam, disclosed that Nigerian companies had not taken advantage of AGOA because they exported mainly oil products to the US despite the availability of the programme for several years. Speaking...

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian – American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Mr. Ayo Salam has urged Nigerian exporters, in particular, shippers to take advantage of the second window of opportunities by African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which lapses in September 2025 to advance trade and export with the United States of America. This is as he promised to assist Nigerian exporters and shoppers leverage on the 6500 export items authorized by the bilateral trading window. Mr. Salam said this at the meeting of the NACC in conjunction...

Last year, Namibia launched its AGOA Utilisation Strategy with the objective of diversifying and increasing its exports to the United States of America under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The strategy chiefly seeks to assist Namibia to develop its competitiveness in utilising the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) that provides eligible countries with duty free access to the lucrative USA market.  Now, Namibia through the trade ministry in collaboration with USAID TradeHub, will host two hybrid events, focused on...

The United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, has disclosed that Nigeria will continue to be eligible for preferential trade access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Leonard, during a visit to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, said Nigeria became eligible after a review of the criteria set by the US Congress under AGOA. According to her, the criteria for eligibility among other things, include the establishment of a market-based economy, rule...

The US government is looking beyond a delayed trade deal with Kenya to expand commercial ties between the two countries amid Nairobi’s mounting frustration with Washington's slow pace to conclude the deal. In a new report submitted to the US Congress by Joe Biden’s top trade diplomat Katherine Tai, the US government revealed it would pursue “other means” of deepening trade engagements with Kenya in the absence of a free trade agreement (FTA). “(We will) engage with Kenya to deepen bilateral trade, potentially through an FTA or...

United States (US) lawmakers have started grilling President Joe Biden’s nominee for ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, raising hopes she will finally take up the crucial diplomatic post nearly six months after she was picked for the role. The billionaire’s nomination which was made last December has been pending approval by the US Senate. Biden nominated the Democratic Party donor and former eBay and Hewlett-Packard CEO as his envoy to Nairobi in a telling sign of Kenya’s growing economic and diplomatic clout with the US. Republican...

Kenya earned an additional Sh10.2 billion from its exports to the US as Nairobi reaped big from Ethiopia’s suspension from a duty-free trade pact. Last year, Kenya’s exports to the US — mostly apparel were valued at Sh59.6 billion, a jump of more than a fifth from Sh49.4 billion in 2020 as Kenyan traders sold more goods through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), a free trade agreement between Washington and select African countries. This saw the US overtake Pakistan to become Kenya’s third-largest export market behind...

The U.S. government’s Prosper Africa program, launched in 2019, aims to double two-way trade and investment between the United States and African countries and, in doing so, to put a new face on American foreign policy in Africa. Despite the initiative’s embrace by two separate administrations, it has so far been slow to live up to expectations. The Prosper Africa Act, a draft piece of bipartisan legislation put forward in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, now languishes in Congress, overshadowed by other crises and attracting...

South Africa is set to lose its preferential access to the US under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa) — a piece of American legislation allowing preferential access to the US market for African countries — when it expires in December 2025. It isn’t likely that this can be avoided. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We were never meant to benefit from AGOA, and if not for Nelson Mandela chatting with Bill Clinton in the late 1990s we never would have. Lower import duties in the US for cars made in SA have been the...

Export of duty-free goods to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) has crossed the Sh50 billion mark after declining last year. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that the value grew by 20 percent, marking one of the biggest leaps in seven years. The goods, mainly textile products, increased from Sh42.2 billion in 2020 to Sh50.6 billion in the review period. “All the selected indicators under the EPZ garment and apparel sub-sector reported growths in 2021,” said the KNBS. Capital...

The Department of State’s Bureau of Africa Affairs provides three core objectives for U.S. foreign policy towards Africa: “1) Advancing trade and commercial ties with key African states to increase the U.S. and African prosperity; 2) Protecting the United States from cross-border health and security threats; and 3) Supporting key African states’ progress toward stability, citizen-responsive governance, and self-reliance.” Examining these objectives and their on-the-ground impacts, separating health and security threats, creates...

Kenyan trade officials and their American counterparts resumed talks on a proposed free trade pact that holds the potential of boosting exports to the world’s largest market, but one that critics fear could expose local firms up to unfair competition from American companies. US trade officials jetted into the country on Sunday to iron out pending concerns by President Joe Biden’s administration that have delayed the deal. High on the worries of American negotiators are issues such as intellectual property practices, corruption in...

The US government and Kenya will from Tuesday start another round of trade talks, signalling a fresh direction after the Biden administration froze Trump-era negotiations on the free trade agreement. “Kenya-US trade and investments experts are set to have in-person meetings scheduled for 3rd May to 6th May,” said Kenya’s trade ministry while announcing the meetings will not be open to the press. Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) for African Affairs Constance Hamilton lead a delegation to Kenya to explore...

Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) for African Affairs Constance Hamilton will lead a delegation to Kenya on May 1 to explore opportunities for enhanced trade and investment engagement, USTR spokesperson Adam Hodge said on Friday. The delegation will include subject-matter experts from USTR and the Departments of State, Labor, Commerce and Agriculture, he said. The visit follows recent meetings between top U.S. trade negotiator Katherine Tai and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina in which the two agreed to work on...

Uganda’s export earnings have dropped tremendously in the last two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the country, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) officials have observed.  [ AGOA.info note: See US import data from Uganda by program below].  Uganda is one African country whose exports are eligible for tariff and quota-free access to the US market under the Agoa initiative. Mr Benson Byaruhanga, the Agoa economist, told Monitor in an interview yesterday that the country’s export...

The United States government has slammed Kenya for its failure to approve imported genetically modified (GM) foods and crops saying the measure is restricting its exports. The US Trade Representative's office (USTR) said in its annual report approval by Nairobi could boost agricultural purchases from the US by Kenya which is the world’s biggest producer of GMO crops. Kenya has been reluctant to approve the import or planting of genetically modified food crops since November 2012, amid an ongoing debate about the safety of GMO crops,...

U.S. industrial production has risen by two-thirds in the past 30 years. Manufacturing has bounced back from the pandemic recession and today employs 12.6 million Americans, with average earnings topping $30 per hour. American manufacturers are on a roll. In sharp contrast to the “we don’t make anything here” refrain commonly heard in Washington, U.S. industrial production has risen by two-thirds in the past 30 years in inflation-adjusted terms. Manufacturing has bounced back from the pandemic recession and today...

A U.S senator has requested the senate to return Ethiopia to AGOA as it has been progressing in many aspects. U.S. Senator from Virginia Mark Warner said the U.S. should strengthen and improve the trade relationship between Africa specifically Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has been pending progress in many aspects, especially the ceasefire. The trade relation between Africa specifically with Ethiopia is important. “We do that carefully there are very large Diaspora Ethiopians in Virginia and others. My hope is we can improve the...

Angolan entrepreneurs will be able to export agricultural products, beverages and others to the United States of America market, through the mediation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This information was provided today by the Acting Minister Counselor of the US Embassy in Angola, Christopher Hattayer, noting that the United States had been supporting efforts to increase economic growth in Angola since 2021 via the Southern African Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub). Speaking at an event to...

Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) in partnership with USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub) is proud to launch a new program which will increase the investor, export readiness and competitiveness of 100 SMEs in Southern Africa. The USAID funded ‘Enhanced Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Investment and Export Readiness Through a Digital Platform’ program is aimed at SMEs in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia who...

Much of island’s economic success was built on textiles but rising labour costs underline need for high-tech products.Next to the motorway, heading north from Mauritius’ international airport, is a row of boxy apartment blocks festooned with washing hung out to dry. These are the cramped dormitories of thousands of foreign textile workers, the majority from Bangladesh. The hostels, which also house workers from Madagascar and Nepal, illustrate a dilemma for Mauritius. As the economy has grown more successful, wages have risen sharply,...

During today’s Senate Finance Committee Hearing with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) questioned the Biden Administration’s inaction on free trade agreements (FTAs) and the implication that FTAs are not a tool for the 21stcentury. On the importance of free trade agreements: “Every single presidential administration since Reagan has initiated negotiations on a new [free trade agreement]. They’ve done this to increase market access and to help U.S. industries and workers grow and thrive. “The...

Kenya and US are set for agriculture trade deals. President Joe Biden’s top Agriculture minister said the US government will dispatch top agricultural officials and farmers’ representatives for a week-long trade mission in Nairobi later this year to scout for trade opportunities for American farmers and exporters. The delegation comprising businesses, farm organisations, and teams from various agriculture departments in the US government are expected in Kenya from October 31 to November 3. US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said...

The US government will dispatch top agricultural officials and farmers’ representatives for a week-long trade mission in Nairobi later this year to scout for trade opportunities for American farmers and exporters. President Joe Biden’s top Agriculture minister said the delegation comprising businesses, farm organisations, and teams from various agriculture departments in the US government are expected in Kenya from October 31 to November 3. US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the trade mission will connect Kenyan exporters and...

The maiden edition of the Black History Festival (BHF) in USA which came off from February 21 to 28 in Washington DC has become an eye-opener for African diaspora about the scads of opportunities that exist in Africa, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) and African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as windows. Coordinator for BHF, Stephen Selassie Asuo said “Recently, the commencement of the AFCTA and the AGOA has opened more opportunities for the African Diaspora to connect with the continent for trade, innovation and...

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), has announced the recruitment of the first cohort of twenty-five businesses in the Kenya-US Small and Medium Enterprises Trade Initiative. The twenty-five local SMEs, looking to either scale up globally or grow exports to the US market, will be provided with sector-specific information on business opportunities in the US markets. This is in addition to imports and exports business exchanges among other initiatives aimed at improving market access and linkages between SMEs in the two...