The United States and Kenya are working together to conclude an agreement by the end of the year on an ambitious US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. The partnership aims to increase investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and support African regional economic integration. US President Joe Biden highlighted the importance of bilateral trade and investment ties and expressed support for the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which supports policies to reduce poverty, combat corruption, and promote respect for human rights and workers' rights [fcafbaf1].
Kenya's apparel sector has been a success story under AGOA, with exports to the US reaching record levels. Ongoing investments are expected to generate an additional $250 million in apparel exports and create over 20,000 new jobs. US President Joe Biden cited Kenya's apparel sector as evidence of the success of AGOA and expressed his support for its reauthorization [fcafbaf1].
US President Joe Biden declared Kenya as the only sub-Saharan African country with the title of major non-NATO ally. The US will provide Kenya with 16 military helicopters and has invested KSh 30 billion in Kenya's defence sector since 2020. The US has several known military bases in Africa, including Camp Lemonnaier in Djibouti, Manda Bay in Kenya, bases in Niger, possible secret bases in Somalia, bases in Cameroon, Chad, and Egypt. The US positions troops in Africa to protect its African allies and ensure the free and secure flow of resources [d94a33a2] [fcafbaf1].
During the visit, the US and Kenya also launched the 'Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Programme'. The program will receive $60 million in economic assistance from the US Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation to support improvements in urban land use and transport systems [fcafbaf1].
In a separate development, the US military has shown interest in Manda Bay, a little-known island in Lamu County, Kenya. The US Manda airfield played a key role in the capture of Kismayu by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in 2012. The American Manda Magogoni Naval Base is located in the expansive Boni Forest and has been involved in Operation Amani Boni to flush out al-Shabaab militants. The community supports the presence of the military bases for peace and stability but demands fair compensation for the land acquisitions. Kenya and the US have agreed to expand the Manda Bay Airfield. Kenya secured over Sh130 billion in joint efforts to improve regional security from the US. Lamu has faced insecurity incidents from al-Shabaab militants, leading to the launch of Operation Amani Boni. The Lamu archipelago is a scenic tourist destination. Kenya's mental health crisis and the World Bank's loan terms to Kenya are also discussed [67860ab1].
Madang, a province in Papua New Guinea, has become the first to partner with Poplar, a city in Wisconsin, United States, under the Sister Cities International (SCI) partnership. Madang Governor Ramsey Pariwa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city of Poplar to facilitate cultural exchange and economic collaboration. The SCI, founded in 1956 by US President Dwight Eisenhower, aims to achieve 'peace through people' and currently has 500 US cities in partnership with 2,000 cities in 145 countries. The partnership between Madang and Poplar was driven by the Whitehouse at the US-Pacific forum summit in September 2023 as part of the Sevem-for-70 initiative, which aims to involve at least seven cities in the Pacific by 2026 in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the SCI. Madang is recognized for the crash site of the US fighter aircraft, P38 Marge, flown by American Major Richard Bong during World War Two [e031ed02].