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With over 6.29million recorded cases worldwide and over 380,00 deaths, its safe to say the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the globe as we know it. Although Africa has, for the most part, managed to avoid an exponential spread of the disease, the overall recovery of the country and more specifically South Africa, hangs in the balance due to a number of factors.  Long delays with vital decisions The country has experienced over 35,000 confirmed cases and the number of deaths sit at just under 800 at the time this...

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently notified that imports of eligible products from Mali qualify for the textile and apparel benefits under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) beginning August 4 as Mali has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent the unlawful trans-shipment of textile and apparel articles.Mali has also taken steps to prevent the use of counterfeit documents in connection with the shipment of such articles, and has implemented and follows, or is making...

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a United States bipartisan trade legislation that was signed into law on May 18, 2000 by former US President Bill Clinton – it means AGOA is 20 years old this year. Initially, the Act was planned to last for eight years but former President George Bush signed legislative amendments into law in July 2004 and extended the duration to 2015. Then on June 29, 2015, former US President Barack Obama also extended the validity of AGOA legislation by 10 years to 2025. AGOA must be a special piece...

The United States and Kenya formally launched negotiations Wednesday on a bilateral trade deal, which the countries hope could be replicated across Africa. “Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we look forward to negotiating and concluding a comprehensive, high-standard agreement with Kenya that can serve as a model for additional agreements across Africa,” said U.S. Ambassador Robert Lighthizer in a joint U.S.-Kenya statement. The first round of discussions, held over the next two weeks, will be conducted remotely...

Today, United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Kenya Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization, Trade, and Enterprise Development Betty Maina formally launched trade agreement negotiations between the United States and the Republic of Kenya. “Kenya is a recognized leader across the continent, an important strategic partner of the United States, and there is enormous potential for us to deepen our economic and commercial ties,” said Ambassador Lighthizer.   “Under President Trump’s leadership, we look forward to...

Kenya’s negotiations with the US on an unprecedented two-way trade deal are on schedule to begin on July 7 despite difficulties posed by the coronavirus pandemic, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday. “Our team is raring to go,” he assured an online forum sponsored by the Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa. Kenya is aiming to create “sustainable jobs for our people” through what would be the first bilateral free-trade agreement between a sub-Saharan country and the nation with the world’s biggest economy, the...

A four-day leaders forum hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) opened Tuesday with Rwandan President Paul Kagame saying Africa and the United States will remain key trade and investment partners post the crippling coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Kagame, in opening remarks to the forum on the theme Resilient U.S.-Africa Business Engagement to Drive Post COVID-19 Recovery, said; “The world is full of uncertainties right now but there is no doubt that Africa and the United States will continue to be important trade and investment...

The government is at an advanced plan of lifting the suspension on importation of second hand clothes.  Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina says her ministry and that of Health are drafting safety guidelines to guide the handling and selling of second clothes before the ban is lifted.  This comes after mitumba traders said they were running out of stock following that ban on importation of mitumba in early this year. Late in March, the government banned importation of mitumba clothes and shoes in line with World Health...

Trade and investment opportunities in Africa are in the spotlight this summer as the African nations prepare for final implementation of their free trade area and the United States looks toward the start of discussions about a free trade agreement with Kenya. The California Chamber of Commerce is a longtime supporter of stable and sustainable economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa African Continental Free Trade Area The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) originally was due to be implemented on July 1. Once in...

Kenya has delayed talks on a trade deal with the United States until a pan-African trade bloc comes into force, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Thursday, likely holding up what would be Washington’s first such pact in sub-Saharan Africa. U.S. President Donald Trump and Kenyatta agreed in February to start formal talks on a bilateral trade pact that might help offset concerns about China’s expanding investment imprint on the continent. Kenya wants to do a deal with Washington before the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act...

Action Notice of initiation of review and request for comments. Download a copy of the official document HERE.  Summary The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is announcing the initiation of the annual review of the eligibility of the sub-Saharan African countries to receive the benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The AGOA Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (AGOA Subcommittee) is developing recommendations for the President on AGOA country eligibility for calendar year...

The United States government is seeking unfettered access to the Kenyan market in the proposed free trade agreement between Nairobi and Washington, which could have far-reaching implications on Kenya’s critical agricultural sector and its industrialisation plans. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has made public a summary of key negotiation points in the proposed bilateral deal, which will see Kenya lift tariffs on all US agricultural products and open its maritime, textile, telecommunications financial services...

In six months’ time the world’s gaze will be trained on what is gearing up to be a contentious and hotly contested presidential election in the US. Irrespective of who emerges victorious between the incumbent President Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee Joe Biden South Africa needs to start thinking about what it stands to lose – or gain – from the new administration’s stance. This is especially so in the area of economic relations. Since 1994, trade and investment ties between the US and South Africa have evolved against...