Browsing: Joe Biden

President William Ruto’s election in August 2022 introduced an element of uncertainty in Kenya’s foreign policy landscape. While it is challenging to predict the exact trajectory, his past statements suggest a more pragmatic and balanced approach to international relations. While emphasizing the importance of regional integration and South-South cooperation, President Ruto has also acknowledged the significance of Kenya’s longstanding relationship with the United States. This nuanced stance implies that the government might not abandon the Look East Policy entirely but rather recalibrate to strike a more balanced approach between the East and the West.…

• AfDB announces US$ 1.5 billion funding for emergency food responce
• AfDB pledges seeds & fertilizers for 20 million smallholder farmers
• Oxfam warns of famine in Somalia

In May 2022, the African Development Bank (AfDB) Board of Directors approved $1.5 billion in funding for what the bank called the African Emergency Food Production Facility; one year down the road, has the funding achieved its purpose?

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina described the facility as a necessary support for Africa’s emergency food response in the face of shortages caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

The bank’s President said the funding will help to significantly increase food production in Africa and avert what he at the time described as ‘the looming food crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.’

Making the announcement at the Summit of G7 leaders last year in Washington, Mr. Adesina announced that the African Development Bank (AfDB) would out of its own …

• The influx of used clothes from the west in effect affects the development of textile industries in the EAC
• Five years later, a new administration, Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war not to mention a stronger China economy, the US may reconsider EAC state’s position.
• EA States have 2 years to consider if they want AGOA renewed

In 2015, all major economies in East Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia proposed to ban the importation of second-hand clothes but the US would have none of it.

The intention was good, even noble: Banning second-hand imports would strengthen the domestic textile industry which would create jobs and other positive ripple effects.

“The US claimed this proposal goes too far and violates the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which aims to expand trade and investment on the continent,” the media reported.

Once the US pulled the AGOA card, the East African …

CCA president and chief executive officer Florizelle Liser said the forum allowed over 2,200 participants to network.

“CCA looks forward to partnering with the US Chamber to jointly convene the private sector as part of the Summit’s Africa Business Forum, which will help drive progress towards a trade and investment relationship that unlocks opportunity and growth for both the U.S. and Africa,” Liser said.

The US-Africa Leaders Summit will build American and African shared values and hopes to foster new economic engagement. It will also reinforce the two regions’ commitment to democracy and human rights. Among the issues to be discussed are mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics and working collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health.

Climate change is another matter of concern that needs a response by respective governments. Nevertheless, Biden said he was hopeful the summit would be a success.…

The United States (US) Senate has approved the nomination of Meg Whitman as the US ambassador to Kenya. 

Whitman is one of the richest Americans. According to Forbes, her net worth is estimated at US$2.9 billion (Sh 343.3 billion). She sits on the boards of Procter & Gamble and General Motors.

The 65-year-old was vetted by the US’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee following her nomination by President Joe Biden in December 2021.…

The two ministers gave their views during the virtual conference on how to advance economic and trade relationships between their countries.

Ambassador Katherine Kai released a statement complimenting Kenya’s key leadership stewardship in Africa and emphasised on the US government commitment to intensify the reciprocal US- Kenya relationship.

The statement continued that the two trade ministers counselled their teams in identifying “productive avenues” to important issues aimed at aligning the developing partnerships to the “trade policy centered to the workers in the US- Kenya trade and investment partnership” while concurrently commenting on the economic and trade relationships between Kenya and the US. …

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 suffering the worst from the effects of global warming. The continent is the least prepared to respond to adverse weather changes brought about by global warming.

The devastating effects range from unpredictable weather that is causing floods and famine across the continent. The economic impact for agriculture dependent Africa is huge. This is why Joe Biden’s win is very important for Africa.

Biden is clearly for action against global warming the least of which not been his outright statement that his administration will bring America back into the Paris Climate Deal. The Paris Agreement is a direct response to climate change in which countries from around the world have agreed to cut down their green house gas emissions to check global warming.

The US was part of the deal, that is until Donald Trump came into the picture and pulled the US out of the deal.

If Trump …