美国好搭档索马里创业记

    柳说：“我们以前希望，现在依然希望，通过我们的行动，证明用明智的、聪明的方式在索马里经商是可行的，进而吸引更多人加入我们的行列。”

    柳和斯奈尔森都注意到，不论在亚洲、非洲还是美国，能够带来长期改变和创造就业的将是那些小公司和创业者——不论他们来自哪个国家。斯奈尔森说：“既能赚钱，同时又能促进基层社区发展的商业投资，这一点是推动经济发展和减少与贫困相关的暴力活动的关键。不论是在索马里，还是世界其他任何地方，都是如此。”

    当然，这并不意味着政府在其中不能发挥促进作用。例如，今年6月，美国宣布“电力非洲”（Power Africa）计划，旨在提高埃塞俄比亚、加纳、肯尼亚、利比里亚、尼日利亚和坦桑尼亚的电力覆盖。据报道，通用电气（General Electric）和Symbion Power电力公司等将补足70亿美元初期投资，同时承诺追加90亿美元投资。

    然而，除了电力和其他关键的基础设施投资外，非洲大部分地区还需要通过坚持不懈地努力，与贪腐和任人唯亲现象作斗争。

    笔者曾担任过四年美国驻亚洲开发银行（ADB，Asian Development Bank）大使兼董事。亚洲开发银行是一家致力于消除贫困和基础设施投资的国际金融机构，类似于它的姊妹机构非洲开发银行（African Development Bank）。柳和斯奈尔森的故事对于亚洲开发银行同样具有重要的意义。

    虽然开发银行和援助机构可以提供越来越多的帮助，但良好的治理和强有力的法律才是企业发展的关键，也是推动长期发展的必要条件。然而，说起来容易，做起来难。

    柳和斯奈尔森以及其他人的努力是否可持续，尤其是面对索马里日益恶化的局势？时间将会证明一切。

    我在公司和外交领域的经历让我明白一点，要想持续消除贫困，必须将私营部门作为一个关键的合作伙伴。然而，不称职的官僚、效率低下或者执行不力的法规、政府的干预，以及地方贪腐，往往会成为消除贫困的障碍。这些挑战可能在更长时间内限制增长，也会成为改善全世界人民生活水平最大的障碍，包括在最容易受到破坏的、冲突不断的亚非国家。

    或许，很少有人有勇气像柳和斯奈尔森那样——在索马里成立一家公司，在盈利的同时，促进当地经济发展。但那40名索马里人，如果没有工作，或许将会成为海盗和宗教极端主义者的牺牲品，所以说，柳和斯奈尔森其实是给他们带来了希望，同时也树立了一个榜样：即使在世界上最混乱的地方，一家小公司也能产生大影响。无论它的影响是否深远，又是否如昙花一现，但至少他们带来了改变。（财富中文网）

    陈天宗曾在巴拉克•奥巴马和乔治•W•布什任美国总统期间（2007 - 2010）担任美国驻亚洲开发银行大使。目前担任咨询公司RiverPeak Group, LLC常务董事，及世界教育服务与社区家庭服务国际的理事。

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓  

    "It was, and still is, our hope that by showing it is possible to do business in Somalia in a smart, knowledgeable way, others will follow our example," Ryu says.

    Both Ryu and Snelson note that whether in Asia, Africa, or the U.S., it will be small businesses and entrepreneurs -- regardless of nationality -- who will drive long-term change and job creation. "Business investments that can make money and simultaneously empower communities at the grassroots level are key to economic growth and the reduction of poverty-related violence in Somalia and everywhere else in the world," Snelson says.

    That is not to say that government cannot play a contributing and enabling role. In June, for example, the United States announced "Power Africa," an initiative focused on increasing electricity access in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Companies such as General Electric (GE) and Symbion Power will reportedly complement the $7 billion initiative with an additional $9 billion in commitments.

    Beyond electricity and other crucial infrastructure investments, however, much of Africa also needs a sustained commitment to battle corruption and cronyism.

    For nearly four years, I served as the U.S. Ambassador to and board member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) -- an international financial institution focused on poverty reduction and infrastructure investments, much like its sister institution the African Development Bank -- and there too, Ryu and Snelson's message would have great relevance.

    While development banks and aid agencies can provide incremental help, it is good governance and a strong rule of law that are critical to businesses and essential to drive long-term growth. Easier said, though, than done.

    Time will tell if the efforts of people like Ryu and Snelson, and others, will be sustainable, particularly in the face of seemingly ever-worsening news out of Somalia.

    One clear lesson from my time in both the corporate and diplomatic worlds is that the private sector must be a critical partner if we are to sustainably lift people out of poverty. Yet, too often, inept bureaucracy, poor or poorly enforced regulation, interventions by government and endemic corruption get in the way. These challenges of the "little bric" may well be a longer-term constraint to growth and one of the biggest impediments to building better lives for people everywhere, including in the most fragile and conflict-affected states in Africa and Asia.

    Few may have the nerve, or the heart, to do what Ryu and Snelson are trying to do in Somalia -- building a business that can turn a profit while promoting economic growth. But by creating jobs for three dozen Somalis who would otherwise be prey for pirates and religious extremists, perhaps they offer a bit of hope and an example that a small business can have an impact, regardless of how long or how fleeting, even in the most troubled places in this world.

    Curtis S. Chin served as U.S. Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush (2007-2010). He is a managing director with advisory firm RiverPeak Group, LLC, and a board member of World Education Services and Community & Family Services International.