With the September 30 deadline for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) fast approaching, Washington has expressed its readiness to rekindle trade discussions with Kenya, offering a glimmer of hope for the country’s efforts to safeguard its duty-free export privileges.

Carla Benini, the acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, confirmed that preliminary discussions are underway, although the format may differ from previous frameworks.

“Those conversations are definitely taking place but STIP might not be the acronym that it is called. It might be called something different, but I think there are intentions to have those discussions about lifting barriers to trade between the United States and Kenya,” she said.

Kenya has grown increasingly anxious as Washington reimposes protectionist measures, including a 10 per cent tariff on textile exports—a sector that has flourished under AGOA since 2000.

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has cautioned that the duty threatens to undo decades of export gains and has rattled investors operating in Export Processing Zones (EPZs).

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During a recent consultative roundtable with exporters in Nairobi, Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui moved to reassure industry players.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure Kenya remains a globally competitive investment destination,” he said.

He also disclosed that a recent mission to Washington rekindled critical dialogue around AGOA’s industrial and employment role in Kenya’s economy.

Negotiations for a bilateral deal originally began in July 2020 during the administrations of Donald Trump and Uhuru Kenyatta.

The talks later transitioned into the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) under Joe Biden.

However, with Trump now back in office following the January handover, the future of STIP hangs in the balance, and the structure of any forthcoming deal remains uncertain.

Details of the ongoing discussions have been kept confidential under a non-disclosure agreement, but the Kenyan government has indicated that an official communication on the way forward is expected within a month.

As time runs short before AGOA’s curtain falls, both governments now face the task of agreeing on a framework that will secure Kenya’s access to the world’s largest economy without disruption.