Trump says free-trade pact with Kenya will ‘probably’ happen — a first for sub-Saharan Africa


President Trump and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced their intention Thursday to work toward a free-trade agreement between the two countries in what would be a first for U.S. trade relations in sub-Saharan ­Africa.
“There is enormous potential for us to deepen our economic and commercial ties,” said U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, who added that both countries sought a “comprehensive, high-standard agreement.” Trump was more circumspect, telling reportersat the White House that a deal “probably” would happen.
Kenya and the United States share around $1 billion in trade annually, and Washington sees Kenya as a key ally in a joint military campaign against militant al-Shabab fighters in neighboring Somalia. Kenya is also East Africa’s economic engine, and it is home to a growing number of industries — as well as billions of dollars in strategic Chinese investments that Washington is trying to counter.
A free-trade deal between the United States and Kenya would more or less replace an aging agreement called the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which allows many African countries to export goods to the United States without quotas or tariffs, but it expires in 2025. The only bilateral agreement the United States has on the continent was signed with Morocco in 2004.

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