Kenya’s exports of goods to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) declined by 4.65 per cent in 2017.The exports were mainly of textile items.

Capital investment too dropped last year by 14.1 per cent. The value of exports reduced for a second consecutive year in 2017.

AGOA exports constituted 60 per cent of all Kenyan goods shipped to the US in 2017. Textile and apparel products continue to dominate Kenyan exports under AGOA since it was enacted in 2000.

AGOA was last extended in June 2015 for ten years till 2025, including third-country fabric provisions.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act allows US buyers to import goods from sub-Saharan Africa without paying duties or facing quota restrictions.

The US is Kenya’s largest apparel export destination. Textiles and apparel account for about 80 per cent of Kenya’s total exports to the US under the pact.

Kenya is looking to expand the list of products it exports. With the country becoming more visible on the global map, local traders are increasingly opening more supply channels to the US, helped by increased interactions with American investors.

Kenya’s volume of international trade in 2017 expanded by 15.4 per cent.