第2978期:Entrepreneurs Gather in Silicon Valley to Discuss Investment in Africa

At the Computer History Museum in the heart of Silicon Valley, people gathered recently at the African Diaspora Investment Symposium to talk about the future of Africa business.

在硅谷中心的计算机历史博物馆，人们最近齐聚非洲侨民投资研讨会，探讨非洲商业的未来。

In the past, many Africans and especially people like me from the diaspora were not invited to the table to really discuss on issues that mattered for the continent.

过去，许多非洲人，尤其是像我这样旅居海外的非洲人，没有被邀请参与真正讨论对非洲大陆至关重要的问题。

So we said, well, what if we can just bring everyone together so we can have that discussion at the same table?

我们就想，如果我们能把所有人聚到一起，让大家围坐一桌进行讨论，会怎么样呢？

Remittances, money set by people living in the U.S. to family in Africa, has long been a key way to support the continent, speaker said.

发言人表示，汇款，即居住在美国的人寄给非洲家人的钱，长期以来一直是支持非洲大陆的关键方式。

But Negash and others said there are other uses of diaspora funds.

但内加什和其他人表示，侨民资金还有其他用途。

How do we scale remittances, so that it can also be invested in other people than our family, supporting startups?

我们如何扩大汇款规模，以便除了资助自己的家人之外，还能将其投资于其他人，支持初创企业呢？

While many investors and businesses want to come to Africa, it can be a challenge to navigate, which is why African nations have been working on the African continent of free trade area, said Joseph Mucheru, Google's first Sub-Saharan African lead and our minister in the Kenya government.

谷歌首位撒哈拉以南非洲地区负责人、肯尼亚政府部长约瑟夫·穆切鲁表示，虽然许多投资者和企业希望来到非洲，但在这里开展业务可能是一项挑战，这就是为什么非洲国家一直在推进非洲大陆自由贸易区建设。

How do they with the different regulations, different countries be able to get into the continent? So we are providing the platform that they can now use.

他们如何应对不同的规定，不同国家的人怎样才能进入这个大陆呢？所以我们正在提供他们现在可以使用的平台。

They come, and as part of the continental free-trade area, they are able to then go to many of the other different markets.

他们来了后，作为非洲大陆自由贸易区的一部分，他们随后能够进入许多其他不同的市场。

For the roughly 50 African entrepreneurs attending the event, this was an opportunity to pitch their businesses.

对于参加活动的约50名非洲企业家来说，这是一个推介他们企业的机会。

Aboubacar Komara, an architect from Guinea, is working on a housing startup.

来自几内亚的建筑师Aboubacar Komara正在为一家住房初创公司工作。

We're implicating people in the process of actually building their homes, you know.

我们实际上是在让人们参与建造自己家园的过程中。

We want to change the concept of what is architecture because architecture has a lot to do with your identity.

我们想改变建筑的概念，因为建筑与你的身份认同有很大关系。

Neile Nkholise is the chief executive of a sports technology company in South Africa.

Neile Nkholise是南非一家体育科技公司的首席执行官。

We have a smart wearable that are sewn into the garments around the joint ankles of the athletes' garments.

我们有一款智能可穿戴设备，被缝制在运动员服装的脚踝关节周围。

Barbara Birungi Mutabazi runs Uganda Women In Technology, which trains female students and young women for technology jobs like coding.

芭芭拉·比伦吉·穆塔巴齐运营着乌干达女性科技组织，该组织为女学生和年轻女性提供编程等科技类工作的培训。

Yeah, I made some really good connections especially in terms of funding, fundraising. And I'm proud to be a second generation family business leader.

我建立了一些非常好的人脉关系，尤其是在资金筹集方面。我很自豪能成为家族企业的第二代领导者。

For many of the attendees, the event was a welcome chance to talk about Africa's successes.

对许多与会者来说，这次活动是一个谈论非洲成就的好机会。

Thelma Ekiyor runs a Nigeria-based business accelerator and an investment fund for women-run businesses.

塞尔玛·埃基约尔经营着一家总部位于尼日利亚的商业加速器，以及一个面向女性经营企业的投资基金。

"I think one of the problems that Africans had for years is we tend not to talk about the progress and the developments that are happening on the continent,

我认为非洲人多年来面临的一个问题是，我们往往不去谈论这片大陆上正在发生的进步和发展。

So it's been a pleasure to come here and share with people that live here in the valley about the work that we're doing.

很高兴能来到这里，和在硅谷生活的人们分享我们正在做的工作。

The connections made at this event can be long lasting as people look for ways to be part of the burgeoning African business sector. 

由于人们在寻找融入蓬勃发展的非洲商业领域的途径，在此次活动中建立的人脉关系可能会持续很久。