Trade policy

US lobbying: Kenya fights to preserve Trump’s trade deal

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Africa’s Top 10 lobbying operations in Washington, D.C

By Julian Pecquet

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Posted on February 14, 2022 09:47

For all his protectionist tendencies and disparaging remarks about Africa, former President Donald Trump managed to raise hopes through his launch of trade talks with Kenya.

The US leader announced his intent to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) in February 2020 following his White House meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Six months later, America’s trade representative Robert Lighthizer and Kenya’s cabinet secretary for trade Betty Maina formally launched negotiations. The US was looking to move beyond its two-decade-old African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty-free scheme.

“We appreciate what has been achieved through AGOA, but it is time we moved to much closer trade arrangements that are mutually beneficial,” Kenyatta told outgoing US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter last January as the diplomat wrapped up his stint in the country. “We will not lose focus on concluding the FTA.”

Trade talks have however stalled under President Joe Biden as the new administration is more focused on domestic priorities. Kenyatta is the first African leader

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