Kenya’s President William Ruto said on Wednesday that his country expects to sign a trade deal with the United States by the end of the year, while also urging Washington to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for at least five more years.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ruto confirmed he would be meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later that day to discuss AGOA.

The 25-year-old pact grants duty-free access to the U.S. market for qualifying African nations and is set to expire this month, according to Reuters.

“I will be asking him for the U.S. to consider seriously renewing and extending AGOA for at least a minimum of five years, because it is a platform that connects Africa and the U.S. in a very fundamental way, and it can go a long way in solving some of the trade deficits and challenges that exist at the moment,” Ruto said.

He added that he believes the U.S. administration has grown more supportive of AGOA, despite a bipartisan effort to extend the program last year failing to secure a congressional vote.

President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, along with his tariff-focused trade approach, has deepened doubts over its future. In April, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Kenyan goods.

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“AGOA gives both Africa and the U.S. the best chance to expand and deepen trade,” Ruto said. He added that “good progress” had been made toward a bilateral trade deal and expects it to be finalized before the end of 2025.

If signed, it would be the first agreement of its kind between Washington and a sub-Saharan African nation.

Kenya is seeking expanded U.S. market access for apparel, textiles, tea, coffee, and avocados, while also aiming to explore new sectors such as mining and fishing.

Ruto noted that Kenya maintains strong trade partnerships with other countries, including China, which has removed all tariffs on Kenyan agricultural exports.

“We have a trade deficit in favor of China, but the one for the U.S. is fairly balanced, so we are still looking at avenues on how to balance trade with all our trading partners,” he said.

Beyond trade, Ruto also addressed regional and global security issues. On the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he said a proposal has been made for the U.S., Qatar, the East African Community, and the Southern African Development Community to convene next month to discuss the conflict in the country’s east.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi said earlier this week that a U.S.-mediated peace deal signed with Rwanda in June has failed to reduce fighting.

At the U.N. General Assembly, Ruto also highlighted Kenya’s role in leading an international mission to combat armed gangs in Haiti.

He stressed, however, that the mission lacked adequate support. “We need more numbers,” he told Reuters. “We need more logistics, we need more equipment, and we need more financial support to be able to carry this through.”

Armed gangs have taken control of nearly all of Port-au-Prince, displacing about 1.3 million people and pushing the country deeper into famine-level hunger.

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Image Credit: News.un.org