VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-07-14 UN Says Key to Africa's Success Is...Africa

 

AS IT IS 2013-07-14 UN Says Key to Africa's Success Is...Africa

Hi again. Nice to have you with us on As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Today, Steve Ember will take you to the Venice of Africa. That is, a floating village in Nigeria. Like Venice, the village is in danger of disappearing.

But first, we tell you about a new United Nations report on the African economy.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development is calling on African nations to increase private sector¹ businesses. More private industry and entrepreneurs, it says, will help to strengthen trade between the nations.

Improving regional trade is especially important because foreign companies are operating with few trade restrictions². UN economists³ say those foreign businesses will control the market if African nations do not trade with each other.

The report says Africa is already behind intra-regional trading groups in other areas. For instance, in Asia, trade among neighbors represented 50 percent of the area’s total trade. Europe had an even higher rate. Trade among European countries represents about 70 percent of total trade.

But in Africa, trade among African nations is low. It was only about 11 percent of total trade in 2011.

The secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development says there are many reasons why trade among African nations is low. One is the lack of services and infrastructure⁴, such as roads and electricity. Supachai Panitchpakdi also says that African companies are usually very small. As a result, he says, it is hard for them to be competitive.

What is not small is Africa’s informal sector. In other words, jobs that are not taxed or controlled by the government. Mr. Panitchpakdi says Africa’s large informal sector is hurting efforts to increase trade among African nations.

“Most of the policies from the government or the kind of the formal support that would come from the economic policies of the government are not reaching into these informal sectors⁵ and so it would be difficult to give them the right kind of support, particularly in the areas of training.” 

The UN report also found that African nations produce and export only a few kinds of goods. Most are commodities, such as oil, natural gas, and metals. The report says African nations do not trade with each other partly because they are not making and selling enough different kinds of things.

UN economists say Africa must become more productive. To do this, they say, countries need to improve their infrastructure and give workers better skills and education. Economists also want African nations to help business people.

Taffere Tesfachew works for the UN Conference on Trade and Development. He deals with countries that are the least developed. Mr. Tesfachew says one immediate⁶ opportunity for Africa is agriculture. He says African nations could trade food products with each other right now.

“There are about 37 African countries that are net food importers  … These 37 African countries, when they import food, where do they import it--interestingly less than 15 percent they import it within Africa.  Most of it comes from outside.  So, there must be an opportunity for intra-African trade.” 

But UN economists say the most important thing for Africa is to remain peaceful and stable. Without security, they say, the continent will not prosper⁷ and trade among African nations will decrease even more.

A Floating Village Threatens to Disappear

The village of Makoko in Nigeria is sometimes called “The Venice of Africa.” It floats on a lagoon⁸ in the center of Lagos. But unlike Venice, houses in Makoko are built on sticks. Canoes are the main kind of transportation. The government is fighting in court to tear down the village, which some call a slum. But the community is fighting back. Steve Ember has Heather Murdock’s report from Makoko.

Makoko is believed to be more than 100 years old. The wooden houses look like they are about to fall down. To make money, people sell fish under the bridges of Lagos’ busy roads. Hundreds of local children do not go to school. Those who do cannot fit into the village’s one schoolhouse, which is slowly sinking into the water.

David Shemede is chairman of the local Community Development Association. He says the government calls Makoko an illegal shantytown, or slum. Officials have been seeking to tear it down, he says.

Emmanuel Shemede is David Shemede’s brother. He is also Makoko’s traditional chief. Emmanuel Shemede says last year the government told villagers they must leave in 72 hours. But villagers refused to go. One person was killed in the clashes. Now, village residents and city planners are fighting about Makoko in court.

Emmanuel Shemede says he wants the government to help fix the village’s old buildings and connect it to the city’s water and electricity. But if that is not going to happen, Emmanuel Shemede says, he wants the government to leave the community alone. He does not want anyone to destroy their homes.

But people in other areas say that when the government destroys slums, it replaces them with cleaner, safer homes. It connects the new homes with city services.

 Friday Oruerio lives in another part of Lagos. He says city planners have built schools, developed transportation systems, and made the city safer for everyone over the past few years. 

“They see any building that’s getting old and has a crack on that building they pull that building down to save lives. Because so many buildings have collapsed⁹ and so many people have lost their lives.”

But here in Makoko, villagers say destroying their homes would also destroy their way of life. After all, they say, a fish cannot live on land.

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 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

8 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。