Browsing: Agoa

A report launched in April 2021 on the US-Kenya trade negotiations analysing the implications for the future of the US-Africa trade relationship shows that if successful, the FTA would represent the most significant innovation in US-African trade relations since the enactment of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference programme in 2000.

With a new administration taking over in the US following an election where Trump lost to President Joe Biden, an agreement has yet to be reached. This presents the Biden administration with a decision on whether to continue negotiations with Kenya.…

Africa is a budding continent. A resource-rich continent with a young population and one of the highest growth rates. The continent has a 1.2 billion large market and an increasing middle to upper-middle class. Conflict is not as prominent as yesteryear, and though still trudging slowly, democracy is on the rise on the continent. 

The continental focus is on strengthening trade, improving infrastructure, health, and building on the past decade’s growth towards Agenda 2063. A part of Africa’s expansion is partnering through trade initiatives to overshadow the legacy of aid.  

The United States has been a part of pushing this agenda forward. Holders of the top job in America have, in one way or the other created an Africa-specific program in infrastructure, health, and other developmental programs. Programs that extend beyond aid like AGOA and ProSper Africa proved to be a step in the right direction. 

Continuing on programs such …

The East African Community (EAC) business conglomerates are anxiously awaiting the Joe Biden administration to come into power. It is hoped that a Biden administration will revive negotiations and implementations of the already signed EAC-US Trade and Investment Partnership.

While Trump continues to taint his administration’s short rule with prompting rioters to even invade Capitol Hill the ‘law body’ of the country, leaders from the EAC have gone ahead to congratulate Joe Biden for his election win.

It is clear that businesses in Africa see Biden as a beacon of hope that will reignite the Trump dampened US trade ties with the regional bloc.

Consider the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), a trade pact that covers and governs ‘the framework for expanding trade and resolving outstanding disputes between countries, was agreed between US and EAC partner states in June 2012 but was never implemented.’

However, since 2016, the negotiations …

What should East Africa and Africa in general expect under a Biden led US administration? Well not to be called shitholes, that is for sure.

Africa can expect a more respectful business minded approach, and granted the move to this positive relation started pre-US 2020 elections.

Back in October 16 2020, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said “America’s goal in [Africa] is to support locally led problem-solving for enterprise-driven growth, inclusive societies, and transparent, accountable governance.”…

It looks like a Biden victory has for all intents and purposes been decided in the rather interesting election in the US elections 2020, which saw the largest voter turnout since 1990. The result of the elections stands to have a far-reaching effect on African economies and on South Africa in particular. 

Why is South Africa of consequence?

The US is one of South Africa’s largest export destinations with 2019 figures indicating exports to the USA valued at ZAR 89 billion ( USD5.7 billion) in iron and steel, precious metals, and mineral products among others. In terms of imports, the US commands a significant share of American imports, a figure that stood at ZAR 83 billion (USD5.3 billion) as of 2019.

South Africa is the second biggest gold producer and the largest procedure of minerals such as chrome, platinum, and vanadium. The country also has a significant agricultural sector …

2020 US Elections

With bated breath, the world awaits the verdict of the winner of the U.S presidential elections. Will it be the incumbent President Donald Trump or his running mate former vice president Joe Biden? As the clock ticks, the hour of the announcement of the results draws nigh and the suspense continues to mount, for both Americans and the world at large. The anticipated results will have a global ripple effect, not only dictating the future of America but of the international political landscape as well.

2020 US Elections

Kenya has enjoyed cordial diplomatic relations with the United States, in tandem maintaining a solid partnership, that has endured since the country’s independence. Both countries have worked closely together, over the years on many initiatives, such as counterterrorism, boosting healthcare, strengthening the agricultural sector and supporting education. Kenya is recognized as an economic powerhouse, in the continent and is …

US Election 2020

It’s vote o’clock for the US again as Americans go to the polls scheduled for November 3, 2020, to select the country’s next president. The run-up to the US elections is always a dramatic campaign that is interesting to watch. This year the match pits incumbent president and Republican candidate Donald Trump against the Democrats pick Joe Biden. While the voting may be confined to American soils, the outcome of the elections has far-reaching implications for Africa and the rest of the world.

What Does the US Election Have To Do With Africa?

Being a world superpower, the outcome of the US elections directly or indirectly affects the African continent.

The US has no fixed foreign policy towards Africa and thus foreign policy is largely dependent on the inhabitant of the white house. How the US provides aid and trades with Africa has changed significantly with the …

In February 2020, just weeks after Kenya and the US had commenced talks to set up a trade deal, another announcement was being made. The US Department of Agriculture announced that Kenya will start receiving wheat from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State after the states addressed plant health concerns.

The announcement ensured that a trade barrier that existed prohibiting US wheat exports was lifted. It allowed US wheat growers in the Pacific Northwest access to Kenya’s wheat market for the first time in over a decade after the US-Kenya Trade and Investment Working Group adopted a phytosanitary protocol.

Kenya’s domestic wheat production only meets around 10 percent of its annual demand. According to KNBS, Kenyans consume an estimated one million tonnes of wheat annually hence the country faces a deficit of more than 750,000 tonnes.

The country sources much of its wheat import volume from nearby suppliers—Tanzania, South Africa, Russia, …