Kenya eyes African market as AGOA expiry inches closer
Growth in SEZs and EPZs means the country has to seek export markets with the AfCFTA promising to offer a 1.3 billion population market.
KENYA is eyeing a bigger pie of the African market amid a push to increase intra-Africa trade in the wake of shifting global trade patterns influenced mainly by the Trump tariffs.
He noted that the Kenyan government has prioritised industrialisation, value addition and creating a conducive environment for trade and investment.
"We are actively expanding our Special Economic Zones and Export Processing Zones to transform our economy from one of raw exports to one of higher-value, processed products," Kinyanjui said.
Growth in SEZs and EPZs means the country has to seek export markets with the AfCFTA promising to offer a 1.3 billion population market.
Over 66,000 Kenyansare employed in the apparel industry alone, jobs that could be hard hit with the end of Agoa.
With a one-to-one ratio of indirect jobs and supporting an estimated five dependents per worker, it means that about 660,000 Kenyans rely on apparel exports to the US under Agoa for their livelihoods, a number that will be affected if the Export Processing Zones and related businesses decide to downsize, according to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
Intra-Africa trade remains at a low of 14 per cent with most African countries being net importers of finished goods.
Kenya is also part of the recent entry into force of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area deal, which creates Africa's largest integrated market.
However, challenges persist according to Kinyanjui, mainly non-tariff barriers.
"We must continue to work collectively to remove Non-Tariff Barriers and harmonise our policies to unlock the full potential of intra-COMESA trade. The work ahead is not for one nation alone. It requires the sustained political will and concerted effort of all our member states to ensure that the resolutions we adopt translate into tangible benefits for our people," he said.
Comesa assistant secretary general Dev Haman said: "We must invest in agriculture, SMEs and trade to create jobs, address poverty and ensure economic growth. Kenya plans to become a middle-income country by 2030, it needs investments, produce and trade more."
The Comesa region offers a market of 682 million population in the 21 member states.
Kenya's foreign exchange earnings from exports to the Comesa region decreased by 2.8 from Sh341.1 billion in 2023 to Sh331.7 billion in 2024, the Economic Survey 2025 indicates.