VOA标准英语2015--Kenya's Entrepreneurs Seek Bump From Obama Visit

Kenya's Entrepreneurs Seek Bump From Obama Visit

NAIROBI—

An artisanal businessman working in Kenya's informal job sector¹ 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 outskirts² of Kenya’s capital Nairobi.

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

Produces pots, pans

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

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

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

“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.

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.

Small, unregulated businesses

Kenya’s 2015 Economic Survey showed the informal sector employed 11.8 million people last year -- working in small and often 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.

Kwame Owino at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a research group that focuses on fiscal³ accountability, said this entrepreneurial support could spark industrialization in Africa.

The 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 25-26.

“It’s almost inevitable⁴. Now whether that will happen in each and every African country is all entirely⁵ a different thing because every country has its own peculiar⁶ policy problems that they need to fix, but, yes, I think entrepreneurial innovation is required for most of the African continent," Owino said.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

4 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。