M a r k e t N e w s
Kenya experiences 25 percent growth in its exports of duty-free goods to the US under Agoa act
Posted on : Monday, 6th May 2019
Marking one of the biggest leaps in nine years, according to the latest figures by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), exports of duty-free goods to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) grew by 25 percent.
The goods, especially textile products, grew from Sh33 billion in 2018 to Sh41.5 billion last year.
Capital investment increased to 96.3 billion in 2018 from Sh95.3 billion in 2017 while direct employment in the sub-sector grew by 5.1 per cent to 46,248 persons in 2018.
The value of the exports increased remarkably by 25.8 per cent from Sh33.1 billion in 2017 to Sh41.6 billion in 2018.
Capital investment increased by 3.6 per cent to Sh16.5 billion in 2018.
But Agoa exports considered for 88 per cent of the total goods shipped to America.
The responsibility, which was expected to end in 2015 after an elementary deadline of September 2012, was extended by US lawmakers for 10 years.
It allows Kenya to export more than 6,000 product lines but has been dominated by export of textile and apparel.
Agoa allows Kenya to export selected goods at favourable terms to the US, exempting them from paying tax.
Source : newzmart