Kenya, South Africa sign six agreements to deepen bilateral ties

Kenyan President William Ruto and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa witnessing the signing of six trade agreements at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa on June 4, 2026/ PCS

Kenya and South Africa on Thursday signed six agreements covering trade, maritime cooperation, education, culture, sports and women's empowerment as the two countries moved to deepen bilateral relations during President William Ruto's state visit to Pretoria.

The agreements were signed at the Union Buildings and witnessed by President Ruto and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.

The new instruments cover trade facilitation through cooperation in standards, regulation and metrology, shipping and maritime cooperation, gender equality and women's empowerment, technical and vocational education and training, arts and heritage and sports and recreation.

Ruto said the agreements reflected the growing partnership between the two countries.

"With President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, witnessed the signing of six trade agreements between Kenya and South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, a clear testament to our commitment to deepening bilateral ties," he said.

"The new agreements cover shipping and maritime, gender equality and empowerment, technical and vocational training, arts, culture and heritage, and sports and recreation."

Ruto said the agreements would build on decades of cooperation between Nairobi and Pretoria.

"Long before our high commissions opened in 1994 - the year of South Africa's democratic rebirth - we were bound by the shared experience of colonialism, by the solidarity of our liberation movements, and by a common dream of an Africa that governs itself, feeds itself, and speaks for itself," he said.

The President noted that Kenya and South Africa had institutionalised their cooperation through the Joint Commission for Cooperation established in 2007 and announced that the second session of the commission would convene as scheduled following the visit.

He said the two countries had also welcomed ongoing efforts to elevate the commission into a Strategic Partnership Framework aimed at strengthening cooperation further.

On trade, Ruto said bilateral commerce between the two countries had continued to grow.

According to the President, trade increased from $590 million in 2024 to $650 million in 2025, representing growth of more than 10 per cent within a year.

"On trade and investment, we noted with satisfaction the upward trajectory of our bilateral trade," he said.

Despite the growth, Ruto said both countries acknowledged the existence of tariff and non-tariff barriers, limited market access and regulatory constraints that continue to affect trade.

He said Kenya and South Africa had directed their trade ministers to implement recommendations of the Seventh Joint Trade Committee and address the barriers.

The President added that the two countries had agreed to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Tripartite Alliance to expand market access, lower costs and boost intra-African trade.

"We are also positioning ourselves to unlock greater trade opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Area, expand markets, boost investment, and drive inclusive growth," he said.

Ruto further noted that businesses from both countries had established operations across sectors including banking, telecommunications, fintech, logistics, education, aviation and retail over the past five years.

He said the growing investments demonstrated the complementarity of the two economies and welcomed the proposal to establish a Kenya-South Africa Business Council to further strengthen commercial relations between the two nations.