The Kenyan Government has welcomed the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to December 31, 2028, saying the move will provide much-needed certainty for exporters, manufacturers and investors relying on preferential access to the United States market. In a statement issued on September 4, 2026, Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui said the extension presents Kenya with an opportunity to deepen its exports to the US while expanding the range and value of products shipped to the market.
The decision follows the signing into law by US President Donald Trump of legislation extending AGOA, a trade preference programme that provides eligible African countries with preferential access to the US market. CS Kinyanjui said the extension was particularly significant for Kenya’s textile and apparel sector, which supports more than 66,000 direct jobs and remains one of the country’s biggest beneficiaries of AGOA. “This is a significant development for Kenya and provides much-needed certainty for exporters, manufacturers and investors who rely on preferential access to the United States market,” Kinyanjui said.
However, the Cabinet Secretary said Kenya’s focus should now move beyond maintaining existing AGOA benefits to using the additional period to expand and diversify the country’s export basket. He identified value-added agricultural products, leather and leather products, pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods and other competitive Kenyan products as areas with significant potential for growth in the US market.
Opportunity for agriculture and value addition
The extension will provide fresh opportunities for Kenya’s agriculture and horticulture sectors, particularly as the country seeks to move towards greater value addition and export diversification. Rather than relying primarily on raw or minimally processed commodities, the Government is encouraging Kenyan businesses to develop higher-value products capable of competing in international markets.