Kenya will extend
customs exemptions granted to member states of COMESA member countries for one
year.
Cairo-
July 6, 2021
Egyptian exports will maintain their access to the Kenyan
market tariff-free for a period of one year, as of July, Minister of Trade and
Industry Nevine Gamea has announced.
She said that the Egyptian commercial office in the Kenyan
capital Nairobi has received a formal letter from the Kenya Revenue Authority
(KRA) stating that it had obtained the approval of the East African Community
(EAC) to extend for a year customs exemptions granted to member states of the
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
“The move will keep Egypt’s exports flowing
into Kenya, especially being one of the country’s key export markets in the COMESA
and EAC,” said Ahmed Maghawry, head of the Egyptian Commercial Service.
Maghawry added that total Egyptian exports to the Kenyan
market amounted to $448.5 million in 2020, up 5.3% from a year before, noting
that top shipments to Kenya include: sugar, detergents, cement, iron and steel,
machinery, equipment and electrical appliances.