Kenya and the United States officially launched the start of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), arguably the most significant innovation in US-Africa trade relations since the passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act in 2000. This makes Kenya the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to negotiate a free trade agreement with the US. If successful, it will become the model for future US bilateral free trade agreements with other African countries.
FTAs were established as tools for driving economic growth through trade and investment, enabling countries to enter into long-term, stable and predictable, rules-based system of governing trade. Under an FTA, goods and services from trading partners can be bought and sold across their borders with little to no tariffs, quotas or prohibitions.