[ti:A Hopeful Report about Africa's Economy] [ar:Mario Ritter] [al:Economics Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.71]this is the Economics Report. [00:06.31]Last week, we reported that international economists [00:11.16]released a hopeful report about Africa's economy. [00:16.43]The African Development Bank, [00:19.48]the United Nations Development Program [00:22.83]and the OECD Development Center wrote the report. [00:28.92]It says economic growth on the continent is expected [00:34.57]to increase by as much as 5 or 6 percent over the next two years. [00:42.07]That would be the continent's highest growth rate [00:45.98]since the worldwide economic recession in 2009. [00:51.68]Economic experts say governments have established policies [00:58.24]that are inviting to foreign investors. [01:01.89]The report says that will fuel the expected growth. [01:07.50]Ethiopia grew at a rate of almost 10 percent, [01:12.65]the highest in East Africa. [01:16.11]Economists believe Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda [01:21.65]will have growth rates of between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent [01:30.00]from agriculture, industry and services. [01:34.95]Kenya's financial services and communication technology industries [01:42.26]are expected to drive a growth rate of 6 percent. [01:47.76]Economists expect 7 percent growth in West Africa's economy [01:54.76]in the next two years. [01:57.20]They say oil continues to be a major source of income, [02:02.61]but that other industries are also important. [02:07.66]Growth in Nigeria is coming from agriculture, [02:12.81]trade and information and communications technology. [02:18.39]Manufacturing is helping Ghana grow. [02:23.24]Sierra Leone is the fastest growing country in the area [02:28.96]because of its iron ore exports, [02:32.31]as well as its agriculture and building industries. [02:37.91]In Southern Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia [02:44.26]are expected to grow between 5 and 7 percent. [02:48.97]Labor problems and weak foreign export markets [02:54.97]have affected growth in South Africa. [02:58.77]But that country is still expected [03:02.58]to grow almost 3 percent over the next two years. [03:08.23]Angela Lusigi is an economist and policy adviser [03:14.53]for the Regional Bureau for Africa in the U. N. Development Program. [03:21.15]"Now the next step is how to translate [03:24.64]this stable macroeconomic framework [03:27.09]into inclusive growth that touches the lives of people [03:30.40]¨C because one of things is we are seeing a lot of inequality still. [03:33.59]So as much as we are talking about girls, [03:36.15]we have to see how that growth can impact all people, [03:41.14]not just one group of people," said Lusigi. [03:44.69]And that's VOA Learning English Economics Report. [03:50.58]I'm Mario Ritter. [03:53.14]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com