尼日利亚投资公司Cascador和贷款机构Sterling Bank推出2亿美元基金，用于支持中小企业，旨在弥合信贷获取差距，这一差距制约了非洲商业重要支柱的增长潜力。
Nigerian investment firm Cascador and lender Sterling Bank launched a $200 million fund for small and medium enterprises, in a bid to close a credit access gap that constrains the growth potential of a vital pillar of African commerce.
非洲超过90%的企业被归类为中小企业，在大多数国家贡献了超过一半的GDP和大部分就业。但3310亿美元的中小企业融资缺口意味着，尽管这些企业是非洲经济的支柱，许多非洲企业家仍缺乏用于投资生产和创造增长收入的资本。
More than 90% of African businesses are categorized as SMEs, accounting for more than half of GDP in most countries and the majority of employment. But a $331 billion SME financing gap means that, despite being the backbone of the continent’s economies, many African entrepreneurs lack capital to invest in production and generate growth revenue.
Cascador最近发布的一份报告发现，撒哈拉以南非洲只有22%的企业拥有银行贷款或信贷额度，而全球这一比例为36%。该公司与Sterling Bank合作的新设施将向单个企业提供最高100万美元的贷款，以帮助企业获得更大规模和更长期限的资本。
Cascador recently published a paper that found only 22% of sub-Saharan Africa businesses hold a bank loan or line of credit, compared with 36% globally. The firm’s new facility with Sterling Bank will offer loans of up to $1 million per business in an attempt to help the enterprises secure larger and longer-tenor capital.