Officials made significant progress in several areas during the fifth round of talks under the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership that were held earlier this month.
According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, significant progress was made on anticorruption; micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises; services domestic regulation; and the first tranche of the agriculture text. USTR indicates that these provisions are designed to facilitate agricultural trade and advance food security, prevent and combat bribery and other forms of corruption, empower MSMEs in both economies, and ensure that service suppliers are treated fairly and in a transparent manner.
The two sides also agreed to continue discussions in other areas with a view to increasing investment, promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, benefitting workers, and supporting African regional economic integration. These include efforts to ensure efficient customs procedures and enhance cooperation on enforcement; promote workers’ rights and protections; advance and support environment and climate change objectives; provide citizens, traders, and other interested persons with greater transparency about regulatory processes; and facilitate agricultural trade and enhance transparency and understanding of the application of science- and risk-based sanitary and phytosanitary measures and sustainable agricultural practices.
The STIP was announced in July 2022 with the goal of increasing investment; promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth; benefiting workers, consumers, and businesses; and supporting African regional economic integration. As part of this initiative the two sides have said they plan to negotiate high-standard commitments on the issues identified above as well as good regulatory practices, trade facilitation, and customs procedures.
The STIP replaced negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement launched under the Trump administration. USTR Katherine Tai has said she hopes the STIP “can serve as a model for trade policy engagement in Africa,” though there has been no further indication of which other countries on the continent might be ready to follow in Kenya’s footsteps.
For more information on these and other U.S. trade negotiations and how your company could benefit, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956 or via email.
Copyright © 2025 Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; WorldTrade Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.