An article published by the New York Times on Monday, August 31, has revealed a plan by US lobby groups to have Kenya lift its ban on plastics as part of the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Economic pundits have stated that the trade agreement could be the most significant development in U.S-Africa trade relations since the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) passed Congress in 2000. Trade between the two countries currently stands at an estimated Ksh100 billion annually, putting Kenya in the United States’ top 100 trading partners. While the United States is a major destination for Kenyan exports, Kenya’s total U.S. trade is trifled by that with other partners. On the other hand, African trade with China has soared, with the Asian nation devoting hundreds of billions of dollars to its Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises infrastructure investments across Africa.

Source: Daily Nation August 31, 2020 14:03 UTC