US Sen. Chris Coons on Kenyan president’s visit, Africa policy and trade

What do the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Tyler Perry movie studios have in common? Kenyan President William Ruto will visit them all as part of his official state visit to the United States, a symbolic event that aims to bring Africa policy to the fore. Ruto’s trip marks the first state visit from an African leader since 2008, so there will be considerable attention on how it plays out for Kenya, Africa policy more broadly, and the U.S. Before making it to Washington, D.C., Ruto will spend a couple of days in Atlanta meeting with tech, health, and innovation companies, discussing democracy at The Carter Center, visiting Morehouse College, and making creative industry links at Tyler Perry studios. Once in the nation’s capital there will be much pomp and ceremony, especially at the official White House state dinner, but also plenty of policy, diplomacy, and economic discussion. One key issue on the agenda is the trade and investment relationship between the U.S. and Kenya. The East African nation is one of the biggest utilizers of a unique trade program between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African nations called the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. The program — which allows duty-free access to the U.S. market for some 1,800 products — is up for reauthorization this year at a time when trade bills are not popular with many current lawmakers in the U.S. Congress. But Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, and Sen. James Risch, the Republican ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have teamed up on a bill to renew the program for 16 years. AGOA was created in May 2000. “What President Ruto asked when I last met with him in Kenya was that we move forward quickly on reauthorization” of AGOA, “the cornerstone of our trade investment relationship with Africa,” Coons told Devex. Coons has been to Kenya three times in the past year and regularly travels to the continent, including a recent trip to five AGOA partner countries. He’s also been drumming up support for AGOA in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, also supports extending the program, Coons said, adding that he’s cautiously optimistic it can be approved. “It’s an important bill. It’s probably the only market access, trade-related bill we’re going to get done in this Congress,” Coons said. The bill Coons and Risch introduced proposes changes, including: How eligibility is reviewed, integrating AGOA with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and incentivizing countries to create strategies to improve how they use its benefits. But the proposed legislation largely keeps the tool the same at a time when some want to rethink AGOA in light of changes over the past 20 years. “It is important for us to reauthorize AGOA as the baseline of the U.S.-Africa trade relationship,” while also pursuing other trade agreements or partnerships, Coons said. “We should pass what we can,” he added. He also highlighted the challenges authorizing PEPFAR, the major U.S. HIV/AIDs program that has traditionally enjoyed strong bipartisan support. He originally supported making changes to that initiative, but it failed to be reauthorized until March when it was given a one-year extension rather than the typical five-year extension. That illustrates the divisions between parties that have made it difficult to push through legislation and informs his approach here. “My view is that getting AGOA reauthorized takes precedence over tweaks,” he said. As part of Ruto’s visit there will be announcements from USAID and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, along with several private sector deals, Coons said but declined to share specifics. While Kenya will be the focus of the visit, especially as Ruto seeks to position the country as a regional leader, it will also be a moment to take stock of broader U.S.-Africa policy. The trip comes as Kenya plays an important peace-keeping role amid ongoing conflict in Haiti. “I think it’s important that we continue to show strong bipartisan engagement and attention to Africa. It is the continent of this century. It is absolutely critical to global development, to security, to the clean energy transition,” Coons told Devex. Africa also plays a crucial role as a balance for U.S. competitiveness with Russia and China, a point often raised on Capitol Hill. But Coons warned that “we are not well received when we make it all about great power competition.” The U.S. needs to understand history and approach the relationship as a “respectful engagement of mutual partners and to recognize that African leaders and countries have options and we need to show up,” he said. The U.S. also needs to understand African issues and concerns, in addition to delivering on the promises or commitments it makes, Coons said.