Today (Wednesday 3rd November 2020), negotiations on a trade deal between the UK and Kenya have been finalised.
Once the agreement is signed, this will be the UK’s 6th trade agreement with Africa.
The deal will give the UK continued free market access to the country, allowing UK exporters who sold £815m in goods and services to Kenya last year, to continue to grow their business in Kenya.
Commenting on the development, James Monk, Commercial Director of Business West said:
“The trade agreement with Kenya is welcome news during this tumultuous time for businesses.
“The deal will not only maintain South West businesses’ access to an important market, but it will support jobs and strengthen the economy in both countries.
”And for those businesses concerned about customs, our recently launched ChamberCustoms service will take the complicated process of completing customs declarations out of their hands and ensure they are completed without error or delay.”
The agreement is also good news for businesses based in Kenya ensuring those who are exporting to the UK will benefit from duty-free access on goods such as vegetables and flowers. The UK market accounts for 43% of total exports of vegetables from Kenya and at least 9% of cut flowers. The agreement will support Kenyans working in these sectors through tariff-free trade.
The top goods imported to the UK from Kenya in 2019 were coffee, tea and spices (£121 million), vegetables (£79 million) and live trees and plants (£54 million).
If you are a business looking for export advice for trading through Brexit, visit the Business West Trading through Brexit hub which offers a wealth of resources to answer your questions about international trade.
If you have not exported before but would like to understand how to start, visit this link for more information on how to get started.
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