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Kenya continues to benefit from the trade preferences to the US market in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), but Americans are raising some concerns about corruption. "Part of our ongoing conversation with Kenya is addressing a host of issues in the business environment," David Renz, a counselor for Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Nairobi said recently. This year's AGOA Forum is set for this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "We are closely watching the commitments of the Kenyatta administration for addressing corruption,"...

The US will launch a review of its 13-year-old preferential trade agreement with sub-Saharan Africa on Monday that will consider asking the region to offer better commercial access to American companies. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), originally crafted under President Bill Clinton in 2000 and renewed by George W Bush, has become a cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations worth $58bn for business on both sides of the Atlantic. But it is due to expire in 2015, just as growth in Africa gains traction and global competition...

Business and government representatives from the United States and sub-Saharan Africa should work to expand their economies together, learning from their successes and from other trading partners, says US Trade Representative Michael Froman. Speaking on the first day of the two-day forum on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Froman said forum representatives need to prepare for a new AGOA after the current law expires September 30, 2015. Representatives at the meeting include leaders from academia and...

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman today welcomed the notable progress made on President Obama’s Trade Africa initiative following a U.S.-East African Community (EAC) Trade Ministerial Meeting. The EAC is a regional economic organization comprised of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda and represents a market with significant opportunity for U.S. exports and investment. Ambassador Froman issued the following statement after meeting with the EAC trade ministers and secretary general:   "In Tanzania,...

It is a longstanding policy of the United States to grant preferential trade deals to developing countries, in order to promote good relationships and to support growth for smaller economies. But what happens when those developing countries begin picking up the pace, leveraging their resources as they benefit more and more from favorable export agreements -- possibly at the expense of their more developed trade partners? That's the question facing U.S. and sub-Saharan African officials in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa this week, as...

The African Union Commission (AUC), on 12 August 2013, hosted the Ministerial Session of the 12th Annual AGOA Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was jointly organized by the Government of Ethiopia and the United States of America. Addressing the forum, the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Erastus Mwencha stressed the importance of the theme, “sustainable transformation through trade and technology”, which was carefully selected in order to respond to key challenges facing Trade and Technology in Africa. Mr. Mwencha highlighted the...

Ethiopia's share of exports under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) is projected to rise from a mere 0.04pc to 10pc of total exports from the 39 beneficiary countries Fortune has learnt. This is if a National AGOA Response Strategy, currently being drafted, is enacted in September 2013. The country's exports by volume under the programme have been growing by 80pc annually, but they are now expected to grow by 200pc in the first year following the third AGOA extension, according to the finalised proposal. Ethiopia's exports...

The AU Commission urged eligible African states to enhance their capacity to export products into American markets. This came as the 12th AGOA forum was taking place in Addis Ababa at AU headquarters with the theme "sustainable transformation through trade and technology' on Saturday 10 August, 2013. African womens' Entrepreneurship Associations, private sectors and civil societies have held deliberations on how to maximize development impacts of AGOA on Saturday. Mrs Fatima Haram, AUC commissioner for trade and industry speaking at...

Trade relations between the USA and African countries benefiting from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) come under serious scrutiny at the 12th AGOA Forum that has started in the Ethiopian capital today, to run till Tuesday 13 August. This year's edition of the annual Forum focuses on Africa's sustainable transformation through trade and technology and will mark a milestone in the Africa-US trade deal initiated in the year 2000 to be terminated on 30 September 2015. The Forum will review a scenarios report which presents the...

The United States wants a "seamless" renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, the U.S. law that offers trade incentives to African countries that open their economies. U.S. Trade Representative, Michael Froman said the United States is beginning its review of the current agreement, which expires in 2015, by looking at its successes. He said that in AGOA's 13 years, two-way trade has more than doubled, U.S. exports to Africa have tripled, African oil exports to the United States have tripled and an estimated 43 million jobs...

The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) rarely makes headlines in the United States. But the frequency with which it was raised during President Barack Obama's recent trip to Africa underlines how important the trade legislation is seen on the continent both as a driver of progress and as a symbol of the US's relations with it. The need to extend Agoa, due to expire in 2015, was a clear priority for the countries Obama visited.   It is easy to see why so much importance is attached to Agoa in Africa. The Act, which began...

US and African delegates will meet next week (August 12-13) to discuss the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. Representatives of government, private sector and civil society will hold talks Monday and Tuesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over the past decade, the US legislation has dropped tariffs on 1,800 African imports, including agricultural products, apparel and some textiles. Analysts say it's also helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs on the continent. Participants will focus how to improve, and renew,...

THE Obama administration’s party line on the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity (Agoa) Act before it expires in 2015 is, let it be "seamless". President Barack Obama’s new US trade representative Michael Froman wants to add another word to the talking points, "transformative". How the act might be made more so will be debated at the 12th annual Agoa forum, which gets under way in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday. Mr Froman will launch a review of the 13-year-old law and how it might be updated to reflect new realities. In...

The top-ranking US trade official said on Monday that issues of "reciprocity" will be raised at a US-Africa conference next week in Ethiopia that will consider renewal of the AGOA trade initiative. The African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is due to expire in 2015, gives duty-free treatment to Kenyan textiles and many other African exports to the United States. AGOA is said to be responsible for creating thousands of jobs in the Kenyan textile industry. But as a condition to AGOA's extension beyond 2015, American negotiators may press...