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Implications
The latest updates on U.S. tariffs and trade for Kenya, as of October 2025, are dominated by the lapse of the main preferential trade program and the imposition of new U.S. tariffs.
Here is an updated overview focusing on Kenya:
Area | Status (October 2025) | Key Details |
U.S. Trade Preference Program | African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has expired. | The AGOA framework, which provided duty-free access for most Kenyan goods, expired on September 30, 2025, and was not renewed by the current U.S. administration. |
Current US Tariffs on Kenya | 10% Reciprocal Tariff (Implemented) | Following the lapse of AGOA, Kenyan imports are now subject to the U.S. administration's 10% baseline reciprocal tariff that was imposed on most trading partners in April 2025. |
Bilateral Trade Deal | Talks Revived, No Deal Concluded | Kenya and the U.S. have been pushing to finalize a new reciprocal Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) by the end of 2025, but no agreement has been reached to replace AGOA. |
Company & Sector Impact | Significant Negative Impact | The immediate application of the 10% tariff is expected to severely impact Kenya's top exports, particularly the textile and apparel industry, which relies heavily on the U.S. market for over 70% of its exports and supports tens of thousands of jobs. The cost increase threatens the competitiveness of Kenyan goods against those from non-African competitors. |
Details on the Company & Sector Impact
The expiration of AGOA and the application of the new 10% tariff pose a major threat to Kenya's export economy:
Apparel/Textile Sector: This is the most vulnerable industry. Under AGOA, Kenyan clothing and textiles were duty-free. The new 10% tariff on goods that often operate on thin profit margins could lead to U.S. retailers (like Walmart or Target suppliers) shifting their sourcing to other countries that face lower or similar tariffs, putting thousands of factory jobs at risk in Kenyan Export Processing Zones (EPZs).
Agricultural Goods: Key exports like cut flowers, tea, and coffee, which also benefited from duty-free access, now face the new tax, making them more expensive for American consumers and challenging their price competitiveness in the U.S. market.
Overall Export Competitiveness: The 10% rate represents a massive increase from the previous effective tariff rate of around 0.3% under the preferential system. This erosion of the competitive advantage is prompting the Kenyan government to urgently accelerate trade diversification efforts, including through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and agreements with the European Union.
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Tariff Rate for US
World Bank staff estimates using the World Integrated Trade Solution system, based on tariff data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Trade Analysis and Information System ( TRAINS ) database and global imports data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Comtrade database.
US Imports Guide
United States Imports from Countries during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Countries- data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on April of 2025.
Investing in USA
theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters
Sources : Forbes | USDA Economic Research | TCGen Total Innovation Rank Index | Best States for Manufacturing | World Population Review | Tax Foundation | US News | BEA Data | Wikipedia | International Trade Administration
theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of a nation's economic vitality and global significance. This score is meticulously calculated using 11 key parameters, each reflecting a critical facet of economic performance. It analyzes the representation of Fortune 500 companies within a nation, a strong indicator of its business environment and market size. The balance of trade surplus or deficit reveals the nation's international competitiveness and export strength. It incorporates Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a fundamental measure of overall economic output, and examine the health of key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. The score also accounts for innovation, gauging a nation's ability to drive future growth through technological advancements. Crucial labor market indicators such as employment rates are considered, alongside fiscal policies reflected in tax rates. To capture the lived experience of citizens, it assesses cost of living and disposable income, providing insight into purchasing power and economic well-being. Finally, education levels are integrated, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering a skilled workforce and driving long-term economic development. By synthesizing these 11 parameters, theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score delivers a nuanced and holistic view of a nation's economic standing, enabling informed strategic decisions. The Top 5 States in the assessment are Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Washington. Texas does consistently well across most of the 11 variables especially in the areas of GDP, F500 representation in the State, Balance of Trade where it ranks 2nd nationally. North Carolina scores as the highest-ranking state nationally in manufacturing and performs consistently across the other variables. Virginia does well in disposable income where it ranks 3rd nationally. It also scores high in the variables of manufacturing and employment Florida holds the 4th ranking nationally for GDP and Tax Washington State scores the top spot for disposable income nationally, 2nd for education and 3rd for innovation. Colorado, with an overall rank of 7 scores the top spot for Education (schools and higher education). Nebraska, that ranked 10th overall, did well in Agriculture where it is ranked 3rd nationally as well as Trade Balance where it ranked 5th. Illinois, though ranked 20th overall did well nationally in F500 representation, GDP, Agriculture, and Disposable Income. Pennsylvania comes in at 21 overall doing well nationally in GDP (6th); Manufacturing (8th) and F500 representation (8th) New York scores 23rd overall with a 2 ranking in Disposable Income nationally, as well as 3rd in both F500 representation and GDP. California comes in at 29th overall and has the top spot ranking in a whopping 4 variables nationally – GDP, Innovation, Agriculture and F500 representation. However, performance in the areas of Trade Balance, Cost of Living, Tax, Manufacturing and Employment resulted in the overall ranking dipping. Wyoming at 30th overall scores the top spot nationally in the area of Tax Massachusetts at 31 overall does well in innovation where it is ranked 2nd nationally Arkansas at 36 and Alabama at 39, do well in overall Cost of Living where they are ranked 2nd and 3rd nationally, respectively. Louisiana ranked 44th overall is ranked 1st in Trade Balance nationally.
Economic
Relevance
Ranking
State | Info | Overall Rank | Agri | Innov | Mfg | Employ | Tax | Edu | GDP | F500 Rep | Trade Balance | Cost of Living | Disp Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 2 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 17 | 17 | |
Virginia | 3 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 35 | 3 | |
Florida | 4 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 37 | |
Washington | 5 | 16 | 3 | 36 | 28 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 1 | |
Missouri | 6 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 20 | |
Georgia | 7 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 26 | 19 | |
Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 6 | 44 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 9 | |
Ohio | 9 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 15 | 11 | |
Illinois | 10 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 32 | 7 |