Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui during a past event/FILEKenya has welcomed the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), saying the move will provide much-needed certainty for exporters, manufacturers and investors targeting the lucrative United States market.
In a statement issued Friday, Investment, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said the decision by US President Donald Trump to sign into law an extension of AGOA through December 31, 2028, was a significant development for Kenya.
The preferential trade programme had faced uncertainty, with Kenyan businesses and investors seeking clarity on its future as they plan investments and export strategies.
Kinyanjui said the extension would be particularly important to Kenya’s textile and apparel industry, which remains one of the country’s biggest beneficiaries of AGOA and supports more than 66,000 direct jobs.
“This is a significant development for Kenya and provides much-needed certainty for exporters, manufacturers and investors who rely on preferential access to the United States market,” Kinyanjui said.
The CS said Kenya must use the additional period to diversify its exports instead of continuing to rely heavily on apparel products.
“Beyond apparel, our focus must now be on using this extended window to expand Kenya’s export basket and increase the range and value of products reaching the US market,” he said.
Kinyanjui identified value-added agricultural products, leather and leather products, pharmaceuticals and manufactured goods among areas with significant potential for increased exports to the US.
He said the Government would work with exporters and the private sector to increase utilisation of AGOA and ensure more Kenyan enterprises and value chains benefit from preferential access to the American market.
“We have significant opportunities in value-added agricultural products, leather and leather products, pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods and other competitive Kenyan products,” Kinyanjui said.
The extension is expected to give businesses additional time to expand production capacity, develop new products and strengthen their presence in the US market.
Kenya has increasingly positioned export diversification and value addition as key components of its industrialisation strategy, seeking to move beyond the export of raw or minimally processed commodities.
Kinyanjui said AGOA should ultimately become more than a preferential trade arrangement, describing it as a potential catalyst for industrialisation, value addition, investment and job creation.
“The Government will continue working with exporters and the private sector to increase utilisation of AGOA and ensure that more Kenyan enterprises and value chains benefit from access to the US market,” he said.
The CS said Kenya would now focus on maximising the extended period to broaden its export base and deepen economic ties with the US.
