Kenya ends two decades of sugar import protection from Africa's trading bloc

NAIROBI: Kenya has formally ended over two decades of protection for its sugar industry and will now allow cheap sugar imports from the Common Market...

NAIROBI: Kenya has formally ended over two decades of protection for its sugar industry and will now allow cheap sugar imports from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Africa's largest trading bloc, a government regulatory body said Sunday.

The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) said that the government has formally exited the COMESA Sugar Safeguard regime after 24 years, marking a decisive transition for the country's sugar industry.

"Kenya now enters a new phase defined by competitiveness, value addition, regional integration, and sustainable growth, supported by a clear policy framework and a restructured private-sector-led industry," Kenya Sugar Board Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Under the new policy, there is no limit on duty-free sugar imports from COMESA countries.

Chesire said the government was fully committed to safeguarding farmer livelihoods, supporting miller viability, and ensuring food security, price stability and long-term growth of the sugar sector within the COMESA Free Trade Area.