Should the Kenya-United States Free Trade Agreement be concluded, it would violate Article 37 of the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Customs Union. Article 37 requires a Partner State to notify the EAC of a new trade agreement even when there is merely a proposed trade agreement. Article 37 of the Protocol requires that Partner States notify the other Partner States before offering a third-party preferential market access since Partner States share a common Customs territory.

A focus on the ongoing Kenya-U.S trade negotiations is pertinent as a lens to rethink the trade and investment treaty making reform at the continental level in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (“AfCFTA”) (section 3). The authors conclude with concrete suggestions aiming to improve the drafting of the prospective Kenya-U.S FTA provisions.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates Dr Sara Seck’s brilliant contributions to International Law. Dr Seck is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research at Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates Dr Mavluda Sattorova’s brilliant contributions to International Investment Law and Investor-State Arbitration. Dr Sattorova is Reader at Liverpool Law School, University of Liverpool. She works closely with international organisations and government agencies involved in the design and reform of international investment treaties and national investment policies.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates Dr Jan Yves Remy’s brilliant contributions to International Trade Law. Dr Remy is the Deputy Director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services (the SRC). She has advised governments and private stakeholders on international trade matters with a focus on dispute settlement under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

There are no two ways about this. Kenya’s Parliament must reject the UK-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Kenya and the UK must from scratch renegotiate a new agreement that reflects Kenya’s interests. The current agreement is heavily tilted towards the interests of the United Kingdom and its multinationals stationed in Kenya. There are three major reasons why Parliament must reject and renegotiate this agreement.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates Dr Clair Gammage’s brilliant contributions to International Trade Law and Development. Dr Gammage is an Associate Professor in International Economic Law at the University of Bristol. She has given expert evidence at the European and UK Parliaments on matters relating to trade policy.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates Professor Abbe Brown’s brilliant contributions to Intellectual Property Law. Professor Brown is the Dean for Student Support at the University of Aberdeen, Vice Chair of BILETA (British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association) and Member of a high-level expert working group on genome editing and patents.

To mark the 2021 International Women’s Day themed #Choose to Challenge, Afronomicslaw.org celebrates women’s achievements through a Conversation Series with selected distinguished international (economic) law scholars from across the globe. We discuss inter alia their research interests, career highlights, achievements, challenges, lessons learned and advice to younger academics. As we gradually recover from the COVID-19 crisis following the approval and dissemination of vaccines, we discuss the changes to the world that they would like to see. Words that aptly describe our featured scholars include “Ambitious”, “Courageous”, “Curious”, “Friendly” “Organised” and “Positive.”

Conventional approaches view researchers as detached observers who can objectively analyse and explain the world, and policymakers as mobilising evidence to inform decisions. This paradigm can translate into institutionalised arrangements for linking research to policy. The UNCITRAL Working Group and the Academic Forum on ISDS provide one example, whereby scholars supply legal and empirical analysis for the Working Group’s deliberations.