US keen to complete free-trade talks with Kenya, Blinken says

The U.S. will carry on negotiating with Kenya for its first free-trade agreement with a sub-Saharan economy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

President Joseph Biden’s administration is “looking forward to continue the ongoing discussions with regard to our FTA,” Blinken said Tuesday in a virtual meeting with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Washington is keen on “seizing some of the opportunities that are out there, expanding trade and investment,” Blinken said.

The talks that began under President Donald Trump‘s administration were placed under review to ensure any agreement aligns with Biden’s agenda, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said April 1 in a meeting with Kenyan Trade Secretary Betty Maina.

The U.S.-Kenya deal is seen as a model for future trade pacts with African nations once a preferential trade agreement known as the Africa Growth Opportunity Act expires in 2025.

When concluded, the pact will increase predictability and facilitate digital trade, according to a report by the American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya. It will also unlock opportunities in genetically modified organisms and improve intellectual-property protections, the lobby said in the report on Wednesday.