NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 13 – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for a further three years, offering relief to African countries that rely on preferential access to the American market.
The bill, which seeks to renew the trade programme that allows eligible African countries to export goods duty-free to the United States, was approved by 340 votes to 54. It has now been forwarded to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
AGOA, which came into effect in 2000, provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for a wide range of products from participating African countries, supporting trade, investment and job creation.
Kenya is among the programme’s top beneficiaries, with billions of shillings in annual export earnings tied to the U.S. market, particularly from apparel and textiles, coffee and nuts.
President William Ruto last month welcomed a proposal by the U.S. administration to extend AGOA, saying the move would help safeguard existing trade gains while providing space to pursue a more ambitious long-term framework.
“We have identified several areas for expansion, including apparel and textiles, agricultural products, leather and footwear, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and ICT and digital services,” Ruto said during a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer in Washington, D.C.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in the coming weeks, with final approval required before the extension can take effect.
