Kenyan President William Ruto has expressed confidence in concluding a trade agreement with the United States before the end of 2025. In an interview with Reuters, he also stated his intention to urge Washington to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for a minimum of five years.
"I will be asking the US to seriously consider extending AGOA for at least five years because it is a platform that fundamentally connects Africa and the US and can play a major role in addressing trade imbalances and challenges," the Kenyan leader told the publication on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session.
According to Ruto, Kenya is interested in expanding market access to the US for textiles, apparel, and agricultural products—including tea, coffee, and avocados. The country also aims to develop new areas of cooperation, such as the mining sector and fisheries.
The AGOA program, which provides eligible African countries with duty-free access to the US market, was enacted in 2000 and is set to expire in September 2025. More than three-quarters of the non-oil, duty-free exports to the US under the program between 2014 and 2021 came from just five countries: South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, and Ethiopia.
In a related development on September 19, South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, Parks Tau, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer agreed on a roadmap for trade negotiations. This follows an earlier announcement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding preparations for a new trade agreement with Washington, against the backdrop of 30% tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration on South African goods.
Arthur Aminov
