Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya and South Africa have taken a significant stride toward deeper economic integration and the promotion of free trade within Africa, according to trade expert GK Kimaiyo.
In a statement marking recent developments in continental commerce, Kimaiyo highlighted the growing cooperation between African economies as a historic opportunity to unlock intra-African markets, enhance competitiveness, and accelerate economic transformation across the continent.
“Kenya and South Africa’s collaboration represents a major step forward for free trade in Africa,” Kimaiyo said, noting that both countries are key economic hubs whose alignment could inspire broader continental action.
While Kenya continues to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and expand trade relations across the region, South Africa — Africa’s most industrialised economy — is also actively pursuing trade expansion both within Africa and beyond. The AfCFTA aims to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers, encourage the movement of goods and services, and connect producers and consumers across the continent under a unified free-trade regime.
Kenya has been among the seven countries chosen to pilot intra-African trade under AfCFTA, with recent exports including locally made products such as batteries and agricultural goods now accessing new markets under preferential tariff arrangements.
In addition to AfCFTA participation, Kenya has pursued bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that extend market access to global partners, contributing to a wider framework of economic engagement that can bolster Africa’s role in global commerce.
Kimaiyo said that closer economic ties between Kenya and South Africa, coupled with ongoing trade liberalisation efforts, will help strengthen supply chains, stimulate investment, and promote industrialisation, not only for the two nations but across African economic blocs.
“Free trade in Africa cannot be about lip service — it must be backed by clear trade pathways, infrastructure, and regulatory coherence,” he said. “Partnerships like this are catalysts that will help achieve those goals.”
Trade analysts have also pointed to Kenya’s strategic trade position — buttressed by agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), economic partnership agreements with the EU and UK, and participation in regional blocs — as reinforcing Nairobi’s role in driving intra-African and global trade expansion.
South Africa, meanwhile, has been working to secure broader trade access internationally, including moves toward duty-free export arrangements in key markets — a strategy that, if aligned with Africa’s free-trade ambitions, could deepen South–South commerce and strengthen continental economic resilience.
Kimaiyo’s comments come at a time when African economies are actively seeking to unlock intra-continental trade opportunities, reduce dependence on external markets, and build integrated value chains that benefit producers, SMEs, and consumers across the continent.
“Achieving free trade across Africa requires collaborative leadership, political will, and concerted efforts to ease trade barriers,” he said. “Kenya and South Africa are showing that such cooperation is not only possible but essential for the continent’s future prosperity.”
