Nairobi — Kenya and the United States of America (USA) seek to expand trade agreement to boost the two countries economies.

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Trade, Investments and Industry Moses Kuria said yesterday through a virtual meeting with United States' Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

The two discussed opportunities to engage in the near future to pursue a strong working relationship that advances common goals.

"Cabinet Secretary Kuria and Ambassador Tai discussed opportunities to engage in the near future to pursue a strong working relationship that advances our common goals, including expanding bilateral trade with benefits that are broadly shared, inclusion of women, youth and others in trade, supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as advancing the African continental trade integration," the CS said in a statement.

US is one of Kenya's biggest export markets for apparel, coffee, tea, among others.

Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the USA allows Kenya to export selected goods at preferential terms to the US, exempting them from paying tax.

The initiative, which was expected to end in 2015 after an initial deadline of September 2012, was extended by US lawmakers for 10 years till 2025.

For example, it allows the country to export more than 6,000 product lines, which has been dominated by export of textile and apparel.

"The two expressed an interest in meeting in person in Washington in December on the margins of the upcoming United States-Africa Leaders Summit," the CS added.