VOA标准英语2010年-African Banks Decrease Lending to Priv

In the early stages of the global recession, many African bankers and analysts¹ dismissed the decline as a western issue.  Their assumptions were based on the fact that most African financial institutions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, were not part of the larger network of the global financial structure.  A few others cautiously monitored it.  A few banks in developing countries like South Africa have successfully integrated into the global financial system, but even so, the impact was expected to be minimal² or non-existent.

But with time, many African bank executives and economic analysts were proven wrong in their initial assessments³.  They acknowledge that they had failed to take into consideration the fact that in the past decade African banks have been working hard to be integrated into the international financial system.  Integration⁴ has its economic benefits, but it has also made the continent more susceptible⁵ to the ebbs⁶ and flows of global financial institutions.

Most African countries were relatively⁷ “insulated” from the shock of the financial collapse⁸ “because African banks don’t deal in these derivatives⁹ and credit default swaps,” says Professor Shantayanan Devarajan, the chief economist¹⁰ of the World Bank's Africa Region. 
   
But that is not enough to guarantee a firewall against a global collapse.  What we are seeing in Africa, he says, is the second- or third-round effects of the financial collapse.
   
Africa was the recipient¹¹ of over 50 billion dollars of private capital flow from the West, says Devarajan, but most important was the decline in commodity prices.  So when western private investors¹² lose money as a result of the financial crisis, there’s less to lend or invest in Africa.
   
“Africa was also receiving over 20 billion dollars in remittances¹³” He says. The amount of remittances has considerably¹⁴ fallen since 2007.  Lastly he says, there has been a fall in tourism revenue since most westerners have cut back on travel.
   
Local banks affected¹⁵
   
In Rwanda’s commercial bank, Cherno Gaye works as the chief financial officer. He uses the analogy of the “chicken and 3gg” when asked why banks have cut down on lending.  “The players in the real sector¹⁶ are complaining that the banks are not giving us money, then the banks are saying that business is actually slow…. it is a conundrum¹⁷.”  He says once the export sector was affected, it had a knock-on effect on other sectors¹⁸.

The slowdown has made it hard for businesses to service existing loans and access new ones.  Most importantly however, long-term depositors like the Rwanda Social Security Fund are undertaking¹⁹ major real estate investments.  This requires huge amounts of cash on hand to complete projects, which explains fewer deposits and huge withdrawals²⁰ of millions of francs -- the same money that a commercial bank often uses as rotating funds.
   
“Our assets at the end of last year was over a one hundred billion francs; by June this year it had gone down to just over 900 billion francs.”  But some companies have been able to show strong growth despite the downturn. “… the financial crisis is proving some economic theories wrong”. He gives an example of the telecoms and utility companies. Reports show that Africa has the fastest-growing telecommunications market in the world. Urbanization has led to ever increasing demand for electricity and other power supplies.

Jack²¹ Kayonga is the director of the Rwanda Development Bank.  Even though he acknowledges the effects the global crisis has had on local banks, he downplays the impact on the private sector specifically the real estate market “There is still room to grow” He says.
   
Bosco Mugabe is a small business owner in Kigali. He imports products from neighboring Kenya. For the past year it has been hard for him to access loans to pay his suppliers. Local banks are less willing to give him loans and so he was forced to decrease his business.

 

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

3 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

4 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

5 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

6 ebbs   

退潮( ebb的名词复数 )； 落潮； 衰退

参考例句：

• When the tide ebbs it's a rock pool inhabited by crustaceans. 退潮时，它便成为甲壳动物居住的岩石区潮水潭。
• The new Russia steadily ebbs away drive out of Moscow. 驶离莫斯科愈来愈远以后，俄罗斯崭新的景象也逐渐消失。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

9 derivatives   

n.衍生性金融商品；派生物，引出物( derivative的名词复数 )；导数

参考例句：

• Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句

10 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

11 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

12 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

13 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

14 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

16 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。

17 conundrum   

n.谜语；难题

参考例句：

• Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
• Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。

18 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》

19 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

20 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

21 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。