Kenya could soon be producing shoes for the United States market, hence competing with China.
This is after the renewal of the quota-free and tax-free access to the multi-billion dollar footwear market under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed said Kenya has all it requires to start producing shoes for the US and compete directly with other major producers, such as China, the Standard reports.
The AGOA, offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to open their economies and build free markets.
According to the CS, the abundance of skins and hides locally should enable Kenyan enterprises manufacture leather shoes for the US market, to enable the country expand the product offering beyond textiles.
Mohamed further said President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed him to come up with a list of new products that Kenyan businesses could start producing for the American market.
The industrialization CS has further noted that opportunities in footwear manufacturing would be among top sectors the State would be selling in the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi.
The leather industry has been hampered by the heavy reliance on importation of second-hand or new shoes while the bulk of the hides and skins harvest from slaughterhouses is exported in its raw state.
Reports indicate that, currently, over Sh40 billion worth clothing, including jeans and towels consumed in the US are manufactured in Kenya's Export Processing Zones.
