Nairobi, Dec. 14 -- I've had countless conversations over the past few months with policymakers and exporters navigating impossible uncertainty about contracts and commitments they entered into in good faith.

What I've come to realise from these conversations is this: the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) isn't just a trade policy.

For example, in Kenya, it's a lifeline for over 66,000 women and youth in our textile and apparel sector alone. It's the difference between prosperity and precarity for hundreds of thousands more across horticulture, manufacturing, and agriculture.

But it's also something else. It's a mirror reflecting a deeper question we must ask ourselves: What kind of trade partnership do we truly want with the U...