The Kenyan government is in negotiations with the US, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on the Free Trade Area as Kenya seeks to expand access to its products beyond the regional and traditional markets.
On Tuesday, the government noted that negotiations with these countries have started to enhance duty-free and quota-free access of Kenyan goods to these lucrative markets.
The government also revealed that trade talks between Europe and the US are back on track as the country ramps up market access for its goods with the expected coming to an end of duty-free access of Kenyan products to America under the African Growth and Opportunity Act which is set to expire in 2025.
“There are ongoing trade negotiations that are seeking to enhance duty-free and quota-free access of Kenyan products under FTA with USA, UAE, South Korea and the EU,” stated State House as quoted by Business Daily.
The cabinet noted that it is also working to strengthen the existing partnerships under the East African Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, African Continental Free Trade Area and the United Kingdom.
However, there were concerns that a free trade regime would lead to the dumping of cheap goods, especially agricultural products from the US.
The cabinet says it has directed the Ministry of Trade and other relevant stakeholders to operationalize the Trade Remedies Agency and the trade Negotiation Council, which will help in managing the risk of dumping cheap, subsidized imports as part of anti-dumping and countervailing measures.
