NAIROBI, Kenya — Sept. 26, 2025 — Top U.S. apparel retailers and importers met with Kenyan officials in New York on Sept. 24 to push for the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in seven days. The talks, organized by the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) alongside GATSBY and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), come as supply chains shift away from Asia and global buyers eye Africa as a production hub.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui, assured U.S. companies that Nairobi has already submitted the necessary documentation to Washington for an interim extension. The U.S., however, has signaled a preference for bilateral trade agreements over multilateral frameworks like AGOA, leaving Kenya dependent on White House discretion for relief, Kinyanjui said on Friday.
Industry leaders, including Jas Bedi, chair of KEPSA, warned that failure to renew AGOA or provide a short-term transition could expose U.S. buyers to higher tariffs and disrupt Kenya’s apparel exports, currently valued at $600 million annually. They urged a 16-year renewal or at minimum a one-to-two-year transition window while Nairobi negotiates a broader trade deal with the Trump administration.
“Global supply chains are reorganizing, and Kenya is well-positioned to play a bigger role,” Bedi said after bilateral meetings with U.S. buyers. “But certainty is critical for both manufacturers and retailers.”
Kenya currently benefits from a lower import tariff of 10 percent, which Kinyanjui attributed to the two nations’ “special bond” spanning security, political, and economic ties. He added that Kenya remains committed to strengthening its competitive advantage by expanding trade agreements already in place with the United Kingdom, European Union, East African Community, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
KenInvest projects that with AGOA’s renewal and expanded vertical integration into textiles, yarn, and cotton fiber, Kenya’s apparel exports could surge to $2 billion, creating 200,000 new jobs in the coming years.
Industry players remain hopeful that the U.S. administration will act in the coming days to safeguard Kenya’s foothold in the global apparel market.
By Hillary Kabillah