By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
President William Ruto on Friday, June 21, 2024, met a team of United States of America congress members who are visiting the country.
The team led by Congressman Vern Buchanan met the Head of State at State House in Nairobi.
In an update on his verified social media pages, Ruto said the meeting was part of Africa’s bid to increase trade and market access to the US.
He noted that at the meeting, he insisted on the need for the US Congress to extend the African Growth Opportunity Act(AGOA).
Ruto also revealed the ongoing negotiations for the trade and partnership between Kenya and the US – which he noted “will take the relationship between the two countries to the next level”.
“Africa is seeking increased trade and market access to the United States. The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), introduced 25 years ago and set to expire next February, has provided a huge market for African finished products,” the President said in part of a post on his X handle.
“Kenya has therefore been urging the US Congress to extend AGOA because it is mutually beneficial to our two countries. Kenya and the US are negotiating a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, which will take the relationship between the two countries to the next level,” he added.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA is a piece of legislation that was approved by the U.S. Congress in May 2000. The stated purpose of this legislation is to assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and to improve economic relations between the United States and the region.
After completing its initial 15-year period of validity, the AGOA legislation was extended on 29 June 2015 by a further 10 years, to 2025.
The meeting between Ruto and the congressmen comes just weeks after Ruto’s State Visit to the US where a number of trade deals were signed.