Kenyan Jobs at Risk as AGOA Renewal Deadline Looms

Thousands of Kenyan workers are staring at uncertainty as the U.S.-Africa trade deal, known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), faces possible expiry. At Shona EPZ in Nairobi, where sportswear is stitched exclusively for the American market, employees like Ms Wambui say the looming deadline threatens not just their jobs but the livelihoods of entire families who depend on their wages. In 2024 alone, Kenya exported apparel worth KSh 60 billion to the U.S. under AGOA, supporting more than 66,000 direct jobs, most of them held by women.