VOA慢速英语：奥巴马把投资注意力转向非洲

President Barack Obama plans to call for increasedAmerican investment in Africa during his visit to Kenyathis week. Investment is important for creating muchneeded jobs in African countries. Obama administrationofficials say nearly half of all jobs created in thosenations are from small businesses -- many of themowned by women.

So, business programs targeting women can make adifference. In Rwanda, many people suffered in ethnicviolence more than 20 years ago.

President Barack Obama speaks at the US-Africa Leadership Summit last year. This weekend, he will travel to Africa to call for more investment in the area.

The Rwandan genocide destroyed families - and leftmany women to provide for themselves. Today, oneRwandan handicraft exporter has changed the lives ofthousands of women with the help of the United States.

Janet Nkubana and her sister devised a way to helpRwandan women become self-reliant. They sell their hand-made basketsoverseas to large U.S. stores like Macy’s through her handicraft exportcompany, Gahaya Links.

“We have actually empowered 3,000 women in Rwandan communities.”

Janet Nkubana credits the 2000 African Growth and Opportunity Act foropening U.S. markets to African entrepreneurs like her. She also says thegovernment-supported U.S. Africa Development Foundation gave her moneyand the training needed to launch her business 10 years ago.

Jack Leslie is chairman of the U.S. Africa Development Foundation. He sayshis organization’s aim is to work with underserved people in Africa. He notesthat small business creates about 50 percent of the jobs on the continent.

“Africa, to give you a sense, only gets about three percent of foreign directinvestment.”

Mr. Leslie says President Obama’s speech in Nairobi at the GlobalEntrepreneurship Summit will bring the world’s attention to a new wave ofeconomic activity in Africa.

“There is a talk of the Silicon savannah in East Africa, which is really showingamazing leaps in mobile technology.”

The U.S. African Development Foundation is working with large Americancompanies like General Electric to provide electricity to more Africans. JayIreland is chief executive officer of GE Africa. He says Africa offers a lot ofpotential for investment. But he says having good roads, ports and otherinfrastructure is very important to economic growth.

“It’s going to be absolutely critical to have power. And they need that to attractmanufacturing, and they need that whether it’s mines or oil rigs or shoppingmalls – they need electricity.”

GE, USADF and others are supporting small businesses to develop ways ofproviding electricity that do not require a huge power system. For JanetNkubana, investing in entrepreneurs, especially women, is key to theeconomic empowerment of an entire country.

I’m Mario Ritter.

VOA’s Aru Pande reported this story from Washington. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

devise– v. to think of; to come up with, to invent or plan

self-reliant – adj. dependent on one’s self

entrepreneurs – n. people who put money and property at risk to make moremoney

potential– n. the possibility something will develop

empowerment– n. the act of gaining power