NAIROBI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to develop an agency to curb dumping of subsidized goods in order to protect local industries, a government official said on Thursday.

Chris Kiptoo, principal secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, told journalists in Nairobi that the Trade Remedies Agency will receive and investigate complaints from local industries that are affected by unfair import competition.

"The agency, which will be in place by the end of the year, will help Kenya to achieve its industrialization goals by eliminating the influx of subsidized goods," said Kiptoo.

He said that the agency will be put in place following the enactment of the Trade Remedies Act in 2017.

Kiptoo noted that only two countries in Africa, Egypt and South Africa, have so far established a trade remedy agency.

He noted that some of the remedial actions to protect domestic industries include imposition of tariffs or import quotas on subsidized foreign goods seeking to access the Kenyan market.

He said that Kenya will apply remedial actions in line with World Trade Organization rules.

The government official noted that the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the GDP has stagnated in the past decade due to an influx of cheap goods.

Kiptoo said that Kenya is keen to expand its manufacturing sector due to its huge positive impact on employment and wealth creation. Enditem

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