Nairobi: Investment, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Lee Kinyanjui has assured investors and players in the textile and apparel sector that Kenya is doing everything in its power to seek an extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with the United States.
According to Kenya News Agency, in a keynote address at the Textile and Apparel Meeting held at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday, Kinyanjui said the recent imposition of a 10% import tariff by the United States on Kenyan goods has heightened the urgency of the situation.
He noted that the tariff, which targets products that previously enjoyed zero duty under AGOA, risked eroding the price competitiveness of Kenyan exports and undermining existing trade agreements.
The current agreement, which provides duty-free access to the US market for Kenyan exports, is set to expire in September 2025.
Kinyanjui said to stem the crisis, the Kenyan government, along with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), is pushing for a renewal, aiming to maintain this preferential trade access and secure continued economic benefits.