Kenya’s exports of duty-free goods—primarily textile products—to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) grew by 25 per cent last year—one of the biggest leaps in nine years, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The value of the goods increased from Sh33.1 billion in 2017 to Sh41.6 billion last year. Capital investment rose to Sh96.3 billion in 2018 from Sh95.3 billion in 2017, while direct employment in the sub-sector increased by 5.1 per cent to 46,248 persons in 2018, according to Kenyan media reports. AGOA exports accounted for 88 per cent of the total goods shipped to the United States in 2018, KNBS said. Agoa allows Kenya to export selected goods at preferential terms to the US, exempting them from paying tax.
