Africa Rising BC to Convene Key Policy Dialogue on AGOA Ahead of The Trade & Investment Roundtable

The Africa Rising Business Council is set to convene a Virtual Policy Dialogue on 20th November 2025, a high-level platform designed to bring together government officials, exporters, manufacturers, financial institutions, and sectoral boards to examine the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its strategic importance in enhancing Kenya’s trade competitiveness.

The Dialogue will provide a critical space for knowledge exchange, problem-solving, and co-creation of actionable strategies, focusing on how AGOA can continue to support exports while addressing persistent challenges such as compliance barriers, value-addition limitations, and market access constraints. Stakeholders will also explore how AGOA can complement Africa’s continental trade agenda under AfCFTA, ensuring that Kenya leverages both regional and global opportunities to strengthen its manufacturing, value chains, and export competitiveness.

As a prelude to the Africa Rising Trade & Investment Roundtable scheduled for 26th November 2025, this Policy Dialogue serves as a foundational consultation, ensuring that insights, challenges, and sectoral perspectives from exporters, policymakers, and development partners are systematically captured and translated into concrete recommendations. The discussions will not only highlight the current state of Kenya’s trade under AGOA but will also chart a clear path for innovative policy interventions, investment opportunities, and private-sector collaboration.

Policy Dialogue Focus

The Africa Rising Policy Dialogue on 20th November 2025 will delve into the most critical trade and investment issues shaping Kenya and Africa’s economic competitiveness. Key focus areas include:

1. AGOA Renewal & Reforms

The dialogue will examine the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) framework and its continued relevance for Kenyan exports to the United States. Discussions will focus on:

• Exporter Challenges – Compliance requirements, certification processes, and logistical barriers that affect market access.

• Value Addition – Opportunities for enhancing processing and manufacturing locally to capture greater economic value.

• Market Access Strategies – How Kenyan exporters can optimize AGOA utilization and explore diversification into other high-potential sectors.

• Policy Recommendations – Concrete suggestions for reforms that will make AGOA more effective and inclusive for SMEs, women, and youth-led enterprises.

2. Intra-African Trade Opportunities

The dialogue will explore how AfCFTA can complement AGOA, strengthen regional value chains, and increase Africa’s industrial competitiveness. Key points include:

• Regional Manufacturing & Value Chains – Identifying sectors where Kenya and other African countries can add value before export.

• Trade Facilitation – Addressing non-tariff barriers, logistics, and standards that impact cross-border trade.

• Integration Strategies – Connecting SMEs and micro-enterprises to regional supply chains to ensure inclusive growth.

• Sectoral Priorities – Highlighting strategic industries for investment, including agribusiness, textiles, minerals, and renewable energy.

3. Financing & Investment Solutions

Financing remains a critical bottleneck for the “missing middle” enterprises. Discussions will explore:

• Bridging Financing Gaps – Innovative approaches such as blended finance, guarantees, and first-loss capital to support SMEs.

• Access for Women & Youth-Led Enterprises – Tailored solutions to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs.

• Investment Readiness – Supporting enterprises to develop bankable proposals and attract institutional investors.

• Digital & Fintech Opportunities – Leveraging technology to facilitate trade finance, credit access, and supply chain transparency.

4. Public-Private Collaboration

The dialogue will emphasize coordinated approaches to trade and investment growth, focusing on:

• Policy-Private Sector Interface  – Ensuring government regulations and incentives are responsive to market realities.

• Development Partner Engagement – Aligning DFIs, regional development banks, and donor agencies with private-sector priorities.

• Partnership Models – Exploring collaborative projects that leverage expertise, capital, and networks for maximum impact.

• Outcome-Oriented Action Plans – Drafting actionable recommendations that will feed into the 26th November Trade & Investment Roundtable to influence policy, investment, and partnership decisions.

Expected Participants

The session will host representatives from:

• Government Ministries (Trade, Industry, Foreign Affairs)

• Financial Institutions & DFIs (AfDB, Equity Bank, KCB, Stanbic, Afreximbank)

• Export Boards (Tea, Coffee, Mining)

• Private Sector & Industry Associations (KNCCI, KAM, exporters, and manufacturers)

• Standards & Logistics Authorities (KEBS, KPA, rail and logistics operators)

• Youth & Women-Led Enterprises (Innovation hubs and SME networks)

• Academia & Think Tanks (Strathmore University, UNECA, UNIDO)

Expected Deliverables

The Policy Dialogue aims to produce action-oriented outcomes to guide the Africa Rising Roundtable proceedings:

All insights and outcomes from the Policy Dialogue will be compiled into a Policy Brief and Communiqué, which will serve as the primary reference document for the Africa Rising Trade & Investment Roundtable. This ensures that Roundtable deliberations are grounded in real-world experiences, sectoral data, and cross-stakeholder perspectives, driving actionable strategies, investment commitments, and long-term partnership building for Kenya and Africa’s trade ecosystem.

Where the Policy Brief, Advocacy Memo & Communiqué Will Be Presented

Despite the cancellation of expected U.S. engagements, the Policy Dialogue outcomes will be formally submitted to the most strategic policy-influencing bodies to ensure momentum is not lost.

The three documents will be presented to:

1. Government of Kenya – Lead Trade & Industry Bodies (To inform Kenya’s official trade strategy position)

• Ministry of Trade & Industry
• Ministry of Foreign & Diaspora Affairs
• Kenya Export Promotion & Branding Agency (KEPROBA)

2. U.S. Trade & Diplomatic Channels (To influence U.S. policy direction and AGOA renewal deliberations)

• U.S. Embassy Nairobi – Economic & Commercial Affairs Office
• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) – Africa Desk

3. Africa & Regional Trade Institutions (To anchor recommendations within continental trade reforms)

• African Union – Department of Trade & Industry
• AfCFTA Secretariat – Trade & Industry Unit

4. Private Sector & Exporters Associations (To strengthen coordinated advocacy and implementation)

A public-facing Communiqué will be shared through business media channels, Africa Rising platforms, and LinkedIn to enhance transparency and mobilize continent-wide support.

Africa Rising: Driving Profit, Purpose & Partnerships

The Africa Rising Policy Dialogue on 20th November 2025 demonstrates the Initiative’s core mission, to merge profit, purpose, and partnerships into a single platform that drives sustainable economic growth across Africa. By bringing together government officials, private-sector leaders, development partners, and trade associations, the Dialogue ensures that high-level policy discussions are grounded in real-world challenges and opportunities, resulting in actionable strategies that create measurable impact.

Key strategic objectives of the Policy Dialogue include:

1. Translating Policy into Action

   • Turning insights on AGOA, AfCFTA, and regional trade frameworks into practical interventions that enhance market access and competitiveness for exporters, SMEs, and value-chain actors.

   • Aligning national and regional policies with private-sector needs to reduce trade friction and encourage investment.

2. Catalyzing Partnerships for Inclusive Growth

   • Strengthening public-private collaborations that enable shared financing solutions, market linkages, and capacity-building programs.

   • Facilitating cross-sectoral engagements that bring together government, development partners, industry associations, and youth- and women-led enterprises to co-create sustainable trade solutions.

3. Driving Profit with Purpose

   • Supporting enterprises to scale operations responsibly, embed sustainability in their value chains, and maximize socio-economic returns.

   • Ensuring that growth strategies benefit communities, workers, and emerging entrepreneurs, creating shared prosperity alongside profitability.

4. Shaping Africa’s Trade & Investment Agenda

   • The Policy Dialogue outputs, including a Policy Brief, Sectoral Recommendations, and Consensus Framework, will directly inform the Africa Rising Trade & Investment Roundtable on 26th November 2025.

   • The Roundtable will provide a platform for leaders to finalize strategic actions, secure investment commitments, and strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships, ensuring that policy and industry insights are transformed into tangible results.

Expected Impact

• Enhanced competitiveness of Kenyan and African exporters in global markets.
• Strengthened intra-African trade and regional value chains.
• Increased access to finance, mentorship, and markets for SMEs, youth, and women-led businesses.
• Creation of a repeatable model for policy-to-practice dialogues feeding into high-level Roundtables.

Conclusion

The Policy Dialogue is more than a discussion it is a catalyst for change, ensuring that Africa Rising continues to deliver on its promise of linking profit, purpose, and partnerships. By embedding actionable insights into policy and investment decisions, the Dialogue ensures that the upcoming Roundtable becomes a defining moment for Kenya and Africa’s trade and industrial competitiveness, setting the stage for sustainable growth into 2026 and beyond.

For media inquiries and participation details, contact:
Milkaela M. Mwangura
Founder, Africa Rising Initiative | VP, Africa International Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Email: President@africarisingnetwork.org | vp@africacham.org| secretariat@africarisingnetwork.org |
Register For The Africa Rising Trade & Investment Roundtable Here: https://events.africarisingnetwork.org/global-events/africa-rising-trade-investment-roundtable/

Africa Rising: Unlocking Profit, Purpose & Partnerships Executive Forum 2025 | 9th Oct 2025 | Gallery