The government of Kenya is on the road map to implement policies that will help its trade balance with Japan. This is mainly through increasing exports to Japan.
According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, in 2016 alone, Kenya managed to only export KSh6.34 billion worth of goods to Japan, while importing KSh80.7 billion worth of goods from Japan.
In 2018, Kenya exported $50.07 million worth of goods to Japan, while it imported $985.51 million worth of goods from the Asian country.
Therefore, the government now wants to do the following to help balance the trade:
- Include more agricultural produce into its exports portfolio to Japan, including but not limited to avocados and passion fruits
- Engage more foreign investors in special projects
- Improve procedures related to customs and Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC)
- Transport goods by the Standard Gauge Railway to and from the port
- Improve work permit procedures
Kenya is the leading recipient of Japanese development assistance in sub-Saharan Africa, in the form of technical assistance, grant aid and concessional loans.
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