South Africa has agreed to reopen its market to Kenyan tea, coffee and spices, marking the end of a trade dispute that had strained economic relations between two of Africa’s largest economies.
Speaking at a Kenya-South Africa business forum on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said both countries had agreed to move beyond tariff-related disagreements that had led to restrictions on key exports.
“We said, let’s stop this nonsense,” Ramaphosa said, referring to duties imposed on Kenyan tea and coffee after Nairobi introduced tariffs on South African steel imports.
The move is expected to provide a boost to Kenya’s tea sector, one of the country’s most important export industries. Kenya’s tea industry generated approximately $1.7 billion in total value in 2025, with exports accounting for the bulk of earnings.
The country remains one of the world’s leading exporters of black tea, supplying markets across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
