This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta announced on Thursday that the country has delayed talks on a trade deal with the United States until the Africa free trade arrangement comes into force.
The Africa free trade arrangement, originally set for July 1, has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The arrangement aims to connect 1.3 billion people in a $3.4 trillion economic bloc, making it the largest since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1994.
Kenya wants to do a deal with Washington before the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2025, which allows sub-Saharan African states to export thousands of products to the United States without tariffs or quotas.
“When we met with the United States... we made it clear that negotiation would have to be done on the basis of, and without undermining, the Africa free trade arrangement,” Kenyatta said during a webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council.
Two-way goods trade between the United States and Kenya totalled $1.1 billion in 2019, up 4.9% from 2018.
