VOA常速英语2015--肯尼亚企业家期待奥巴马来访

肯尼亚企业家期待奥巴马来访

NAIROBI— An artisanal businessman working in Kenya's informal job sector 1 said he hopes U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to a global entrepreneurship conference will open international markets to workers such as himself.

Joseph Omondi works on an earthen stove at his workshop in Korogocho, on the outskirts 2 of Kenya’s capital Nairobi.

约瑟夫·欧蒙迪在肯尼亚首都内罗毕郊区罗戈乔的作坊里制作泥质火炉。

He began working with metal four years ago to provide for himself and his young family.

四年前他开始从事冶金业来养活自己和家人。

Produces pots, pans

Everyday he produces pans, pots and metal boxes. On average, his business makes $300 a month.

他每天都制造平底锅、盆盆罐罐的金属盒，每月平均挣得300美元。

Being a low-skilled worker meant that Omondi couldn’t join the country’s formal employment sector, so he turned to small-scale production.

作为一名低技术劳动力，欧蒙迪无法进入该国的正轨就业领域，所以只能进行小规模的生产。

Omondi hopes that the entrepreneurial summit will help businesses like his access international markets, especially the U.S.

欧蒙迪希望这次企业家峰会能帮助他这样的小企业进入国际市场，尤其是美国市场。

“My prayer is, or rather I hope, when President Obama comes he gives us advice on how small-scale businesses can access the American market, and then we will have benefited from the summit. This is my hope," Omondi said.

“我祈祷，或者说我希望奥巴马总统来访时，能就小企业如何进入美国市场提供建议，这样我们就能从峰会中受益，这是我的希望。”

A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa said Kenya has the highest informal sector employment in Africa -- in large part because the more formal economy can't absorb all the would-be workers. Close to 16 million Kenyans have no formal employment.

联合国非洲经济委员会的一份新报告指出，肯尼亚的非正规就业率在非洲是最高的，这很大程度上是因为更多的正规经济部门无法吸收所有的准工人，近1600万的肯尼亚人没有正式工作。

Small, unregulated businesses

The government has programs to help youth acquire much needed capital, such as the Youth Enterprise Fund, and the "Uwezo" fund, which offers loans to young adults and women starting businesses at zero percent interest.

政府有项目可以给年轻人提供所需的资金，比如青年企业家基金，以及Uwezo资金，该基金给年轻人和妇女提供零利息的创业贷款。

Kwame Owino at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a research group that focuses on fiscal 3 accountability, said entrepreneurial support could spark industrialization in Africa.

Kwame Owino就职于关注财政责任的研究组织经济事务研究所，他说对创业的支持可以促进非洲的工业化。

“It’s almost inevitable 4. Now whether that will happen in each and every African country is all entirely 5 a different thing because every country has its own peculiar 6 policy problems that they need to fix, but, yes, I think entrepreneurial innovation is required for most of the African continent," Owino said.

“这是不可避免的，现在无论每个非洲国家是否会实现工业化是一件完全不同的事，因为每个国家都有自己独特的政策问题，都有待修复，但我认为对非洲大陆大部分地区来说企业创新都是必要的。”

In a few weeks, Kenya will host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the first to be held in Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasising the importance of entrepreneurship needed to spark industrialization on the continent.

未来几周，肯尼亚将举办全球创业峰会，这是撒哈拉南部非洲举办的首个此类峰会，它强调促进非洲大陆工业化所需的企业家精神的重要性。