(22 May 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 5 March 2025
1. Various of workers making jeans in factory
2. Various of Pankaj Bedi, Chairman United Aryan EPZ and board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, and another man supervising workers
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Pankaj Bedi, Chairman United Aryan EPZ and board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers:
"There is no measure we can take, because without AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) at least my company cannot exist and many EPZ (Export Processing Zones) companies which we know, I don’t think that they can. A good example is Ethiopia. Ethiopia was flourishing then AGOA went away and everything collapsed, done. Madagascar also lost AGOA at one stage, they lost all the jobs and now AGOA has come back, they are rebuilding. Likewise, even for us we cannot be competitive without the duty free thing."
4. Various of workers making jeans
5. Various of workers packaging finished jeans, Levis label
6. Various of ‘Wrangler’ label
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pankaj Bedi, Chairman United Aryan EPZ and board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers:
"We have 75 percent women working here, so you can imagine two household people working and they can support their family. So a lot of social impact, a lot of good, but unfortunately it has not been stable. So this time around we are hoping that President Trump will pass it for a longer period, then a long term strategy can come into play and people can come and invest here for long term and take the real benefit out of it."
8. Various of workers making jeans in factory
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Pankaj Bedi, Chairman United Aryan EPZ and board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers:
"If you look at the challenge for the buyer is Pakistan has issues, they have energy issues, they have political issues, Sri Lanka has political issues and unrest is there. Bangladesh has civil unrest, India is self consuming and expensive. So what is the alternative to China? So now buyers are actually more keen to get this extended, and we are working for buyers so it is all interlinked. So we are hoping that it will pass otherwise no future for us, no future for our workers and all this freedom fighting for 25 years is wasted."
10. Various of workers packing jeans
11. Workers making jeans
12. Various of Valdes Samora, machinist at United Aryan EPZ, working
13. SOUNDBITE (Kiswahili) Valdes Samora, machinist at United Aryan EPZ:
"I never completed my education but through this work, I have been able to educate my children. I am humbly requesting that the AGOA contract is extended."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 11 March 2025
14. Various of James Shikwati economist, Founder and Director of The Inter Region Economic Network (IREN), in his office
15. SOUNDBITE (English) James Shikwati, economist, Founder and Director of The Inter Region Economic Network(IREN)
"I think Kenya has to really go back to the drawing board if AGOA is not renewed, because 80 percent of the apparel and textile that is produced within Kenya is exported to the United States, so they would have to look for possibilities in other markets, for example take advantage of continental free trade area or look for ways to have direct negotiation with the United States of America, maybe for a free trade area agreement that is not necessarily utilizing an AGOA kind of set up."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 5 March 2025
16. Various of workers making jeans
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 11 March 2025
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 5 March 2025
18. Various of workers making jeans
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