Africa and The Middle East

Kenya must focus on improving logistics to ensure a trade deal with the U.S. can function as intended, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter and Betty Maina, Kenya’s trade and industrialization minister, said on Monday. Speaking during a July 13 webinar, McCarter said logistics was a key issue for U.S. negotiators. “[W]ouldn’t it be great to have predictability of goods arriving at and getting through the port?” he said. “I’m not sure this is something we have great confidence in...

The United Kingdom on Wednesday nominated former Trade Secretary Liam Fox to be the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, while Saudi Arabia nominated former Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri. Fox and Al-Tuwaijri are the seventh and eighth nominees for the position; Fox is the first from a developed country. Wednesday is the last day countries can submit nominations. Al-Tuwaijri was Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning from 2016 until this year. He serves as...

The U.S. and Kenya on Wednesday kicked off a two-week first round of trade talks and agreed on a framework for U.S. technical assistance and capacity-building efforts in Kenya, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Citing the coronavirus pandemic, USTR said the first round of talks was being conducted virtually, “with the U.S. and Kenyan negotiators engaging in discussions over the next two weeks in multiple negotiating sessions covering all aspects of a comprehensive trade agreement.” U.S...

Former Kenyan Foreign Secretary Amina Mohamed announced her candidacy for the World Trade Organization director-general position on Tuesday, becoming the third African and the third woman in the race. Mohamed has been widely considered a likely contender since Director-General Roberto Azevêdo announced in May that he would step down at the end of August. Kenya has reportedly sent her nomination to the WTO, although it is not yet on the organization’s website. She joins five other candidates -- Jesús Seade...

Kenya will need capacity-building assistance from the U.S. to raise its standards and meet U.S. expectations for a bilateral trade deal, a Kenyan official told the U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday. As the U.S. and Kenya kick off trade agreement negotiations this week, the ITC held a virtual hearing on the potential economic effects of providing duty-free treatment for some imports from Kenya. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in March asked the ITC do so under Section 131 of...

Trade negotiations between Washington and Nairobi are scheduled to begin next Tuesday, according to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. During a June 26 webinar, Kenyatta reiterated that the talks were delayed by a few weeks to align with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The U.S. and Kenya were cleared to begin talks earlier this month after the U.S. on May 22 released its negotiating objectives for a potential bilateral deal. Earlier this month, Kenyatta said the reason...

Facing an existential crisis, the World Trade Organization needs a leader that can take office with “fresh eyes” and a reform-oriented approach, according to Nigeria’s candidate for the director-general role, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She believes she’s the one who can deliver. As of Wednesday, Okonjo-Iweala is one of five candidates looking to succeed Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, who will step down at the end of August, a year early. The other four are Jesús Seade of Mexico , Hamid Mamdouh of Egypt...

Trade negotiations between Kenya and the U.S. were delayed by a few weeks to align with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Thursday. The U.S. and Kenya were cleared to begin talks this month after the U.S. on May 22 released its negotiating objectives for a potential bilateral deal. But Kenyatta, during a June 18 webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council, said the reason the talks with Washington were pushed to...

Four years, two phase-one agreements and one NAFTA renegotiation into the Trump presidency, at least one key lawmaker remains frustrated with the lack of communication between the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Congress and plans to address the grievance during the Senate Finance Committee’s rare audience with USTR Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday. “I’m going to point out, as I have in private conversation with him, that we haven’t had enough communication between him and the Congress,” Senate Finance...

World Trade Organization members have lost their “common purpose,” Egyptian director-general candidate Abdel Hamid Mamdouh believes, telling Inside U.S. Trade his first priority if given the organization’s top job would be to rebuild political confidence in the system. Mamdouh, a lawyer with King & Spalding in Geneva and a former longtime director of WTO’s trade in services division, was formally nominated by Egypt last week. Two other candidates -- Jesús Seade of Mexico and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria --...