US President Joe Biden's administration is slated to hold talks with the Kenyan government over the Free Trade Talks Agreement (FTA) that have stalled over in the recent years.
In a new report submitted by United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, the US government will hold further conversations with its Kenyan counterpart in order to establish a shared vision and harmonise the economic development between the two countries.
“(The United States Government) will hold further conversations with the Kenyan Government to establish a shared vision and partnership for economic resilience and to promote investment.”
"The United States is committed to continue working with Kenya to deepen our trade and investment relationship, including by advancing worker-centred trade policies and promoting regional and continental economic integration in Africa,” read part of the report.
The report, submitted to the US Congress, captured intricate details of the United States Trade Representative’s strategy in order to implement Biden's trade priorities in his tenure.
During his campaign bid, Biden had promised to implement an economic strategy that would be based on a mutual and respectful engagement between US and Africa.
He also promised to outline how his administration would prioritise the African interests and enhance economic partnerships.
The last meeting between the two parties led to a deadlock after the trade talks stalled. This is after the Biden administration sought more time in order to review the pact that initially had been established by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.
Biden's government also called for the trade deal to be re-evaluated in order to align with his new agenda- which differs from that of Trump's administration.
Kenyan government, on the other hand, had called for speedy talks and the trade deal to be signed before the lapse of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
This primarily allows countries based in the Sub-Saharan African region to export thousands of products to US without any tariffs. The AGOA pact is slated to end in 2025.
The initial talks between Kenya and US began in February 2020 when President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the then President Donald Trump at the White House.
The two leaders agreed to creating a reference upon which other African nations would negotiate bilateral arrangements within the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
"Kenya will be the first under the new AfCTA so we are going to be trailblazers in this and we hope that others will also follow through," President Kenyatta stated at the time.
