The East African Community Customs Union (EACCU) has decided to extend an exemption on Egyptian exports to Kenya and COMESA states until June 30, 2023.

The decision means Egyptian exports would continue to tap the Kenyan market sans customs for an additional year starting this July, said Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamae in a statement Sunday.

The Egyptian commercial office in Nairobi has made diplomatic contacts with all government and non-government bodies in Kenya to extend the customs exemption, Gamae noted.

She added that Cairo is keen on boosting Egyptian-African relations at the economic and investment levels.

Gamae said her Ministry is also acting on a strategy to double the volume of Egyptian exports to East Africa.

For his part, trade plenipotentiary Yahia el Watheq Bellah put the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Kenya at 666 million dollars in 2021, up from 635.8 billion dollars in 2020.

Egyptian exports to Kenya top the list of products imported by the African country, making up more than 70 percent of the market.

Source: State Information Service Egypt