President William Ruto’s administration has set the tone for economic diplomacy on the regional and continental fronts, as Kenya leads the push for the continent to embrace the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA).
The latest diplomatic win for Kenya is the visa scrapping for Kenyans visiting South Africa for three months or less alongside four other agreements that would deal with non-tariff barriers such as licensing bureaucracy, regulation restrictions and sanctions allowing opening up for business in sectors like industries, agricultural produce export and logistics.
The deal, whose negotiation started during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, was reached during a visit by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.
The agreement is set to benefit Kenya, which ran on a trade deficit of Sh40.1 billion in 2021, and private companies and investors that have been eyeing the southern African country for expansion.
This comes days after Kenya unlocked Sh500 billion worth of investments from the UK at the ongoing climate conference in Egypt.
The President's visit to Tanzania last moth saw Kenya commit to speed up the construction of the proposed gas pipeline from Tanzania to cut prices of cooking gas.
Dr Ruto was also recently in Uganda and Ethiopia on a regional tour dominated by trade and political cooperation talks.
These developments are welcome since this is the only way Kenya can bridge its current trade imbalance and a stepping stone for local companies expanding into the region.
It will, however, be important that as Kenya opens up, it should ensure that there is reciprocity to shield its economy from being a market for all while getting nothing in return.
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