UMD NFLC Hausa Lessons/102 Trade Development in Maradi

Overview

Lesson Title: Trade Development in Maradi-This is a report on the challenges facing some importers in the Republic of Niger.
Language: Hausa
Topic: Economics/Politics
ILR Level: 1+/2
ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High
This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
Modality: Listening
Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
Subject Area: Language
Material Type: LLO
Publication Year: 2009
ObjectID: T8LHA15

Transcript

Original	Translation
Challenges Facing Importers in the Republic of Niger A: Faduwar darajar naira ke jawowa masu harkar shigowa da kayayyaki a Jamhuriyar Nijar matsala. Wakilin sashen Hausa a Maradi Mani Shouaibou ya dubi wannan al’amari. B: Maganar shigowa da kayayyakin cikin kasa abu ne mai babban alfanu ganin yadda mutane ke bukata sosai da sosai ko daga kayayyakin abinci shinkafa maka sukari da dai sauransu, sai na kayayyakin gini ral, siminti, katako da na tufafin jiki atamfa da na tufafin yara da na manya da na tande-tande da lemon kwalba da ire-irensu, sai motocin {tourist[ English]} ko motuna na hawa da ake kawowa a cikin Maradi. Dukkan wadannan da na zana abebe ne da ke habbaka kasuwanci da tattalin arzikin kasa ga awo a {((tant))}ko a kan {((gam))} da ke shiga aljihun gwamnati, sai dai galibin ’yan kasuwa na koke cewa akwai tsadar awo, kuma hajarsu ba ta samuwa da wuri, ganin yadda suke samun tseko a kan hanya yayin wadansu ’yan kasuwar ke hurda ke cewa Maradai suna ne kawai a cibiyar kasuwanci a Nijar da akwai matsalar rashin bude {container [English]} a Maradi. Alhaji Dauda Rogo da Ahmad Juli-Juli wadansu yan kasuwa ne na tufafin jiki, sun ba da ra’ayoyinsu kamar haka: C: Gaskiya bisa kan harkokin kawo kayan nan {fisabilillahi [Arabic]} muna samun matsaloli sosai saboda yanzu kamar kusan watan nan da ya wuce na Azumi, gaskiya ina ganin bai wuce mu kawo kaya kusan sau biyu, maimakon in muka kawo kayanmu a ce mun same su a kan lokaci-lokaci sai ka ga kaya sun sami wajen fiye ma da kwana goma sha wani abu ba mu samu kayan ba. D: Cibiyar kasuwancin fada nai ga baki, ina ganin kayan nan a dauko su daga kasashen waje a zo gidan duwal a wuce da su, sai an je wata kasa, sannan a je a sayo a kawo, ba a ba ’yan Maradin ’yancin a sabke musu {container [English]} su ma su dora ba da sari nan garin, sai dai a yi jifa ta je ta dawo, na yi imani aka samu gari an kwari gari, tun da nan Maradi har dan kantin da ke ba da kaya sari, amma a zo a sarar kaya a ce a ka zo wane bari mu zo mu ari {dealer – English} uku ko biyar, kudin da ake sai da kayan yadi daya na atamfa ko leshi, za a sami {dealer [English]} biyar kantin in ana ba da sari. B: Za a ce ke nan yanzu kasuwanci yana bunkasa a nan Maradi? E: To ina bunkas take, tun da ba a sabke {container [English]}, Niamey ai ana sabke {container [English]}. B: Umar dan Burna na {[inaudible]}ya gamsu yadda kasuwanci ke tafiya da kyau a nan cikin Jahar Maradi, amma yana kira ga ’yan kasuwar su dawo kan hanya domin amfanin kasar da su kan kansu da amfanin kowa da kowa.	Challenges Facing Importers in the Republic of Niger A : The falling value of the naira is creating real challenges for importers in the Republic of Niger. Mani Shouaibou, our Hausa Service correspondent in Maradi, has looked into the matter. B: The importation of goods into the country is a matter of tremendous importance, considering people’s many needs: from foodstuffs such as rice, sugar, and the like; to building materials such as cement and timber; to printed fabric and children's and adult clothing; to different kinds of snack foods and sodas; and even tourist vehicles or buses—all of which are imported into Maradi. Everything that I have outlined here contributes to the expansion of markets and the national economy, but there are also customs duties that [inaudible] or on [inaudible] that go into the government's pockets. Most market traders complain that customs duties are too high and that their goods are not received on time due to delays in transit, while other market traders claim that Maradi is not the commercial center its name implies because of the problem of not opening containers. Alhaji Dauda Rogo and Ahmad Juli-Juli are clothing traders, and they provided the following perspectives: C: Yes, in regards to this import business, God knows, we've got lots of problems. Since the past month of Ramadan, I don't think we've received more than two loads of imported goods. And when we get our things, we only get them occasionally and it takes 10 days or more for us to receive them. D: This is unrealistic for a commercial center. I think these goods are imported from abroad and come to the customs department to be passed on. So, then someone goes to some other place, where these things are purchased and re-imported, not giving those of us in Maradi the right to unload the containers. They also established wholesale purchasing here, but then they kept changing the arrangements. I believe they've finally gotten it worked out, since here in Maradi even the small shopkeepers operate wholesale, but they still come and open our things and tell us to leave a deposit. So we go and borrow from three or four dealers. With the money from the sale of a yard of printed cloth or lace, you can get a dealer to pay the wholesale shop. B: Would it be fair to say that commerce is now developing here in Maradi? E: Well, where is the development, since we don't unload containers here? They’re unloading containers in Niamey. B: Umar dan Burna [inaudible] is pleased with how well commerce is going here in the Maradi area, but he calls on market traders to be more accountable for the sake of benefitting the country, as well as themselves and everyone else involved.

Glossary

Hausa	Meaning
Awo	(lit: to measure) customs duties
gidan duwan	customs department (from French douanes)
samun tseko	not received on time due to delays in transit, to face an obstacle or complications
dawo kan hanya	(lit: to come back on the road) to be more accountable
faɗa da baki ne kawai	(lit: say with the mouth only) this is unrealistic, they are just saying it
cibiyar kasuwanci	commercial center
su kan kansu	themselves Derived from su da kansu, su kan kansu is used for more emphasis.
kowa da kowa	(lit: everyone and everyone) everyone else kowa da kowa emphasizes that no people are excluded in this situation.

Notes

1. Niger’s economy

The Republic of Niger is a vast landlocked Western African country situated on the edge of the Sahara desert. Two third of its surface, the north, is arid and rich in minerals (uranium, coal, oil), but unsuitable for farming. These factors cause Niger to be dependent on imports and foreign aid for food products and other commodities. Most of the imported goods come through the ports of other West African countries like Benin, Togo and Nigeria.

Niger currency is the CFA Franc, and its central bank is the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) Niger is also a member of the West African Monetary Union (UMOA). Southern cities like Maradi that share a border with Nigeria conduct most of their business between Niger and Nigeria using the Nigerian currency, the Naira, and the CFA. For that reason, the recent decrease of the value of the Naira has negatively affected Niger’s commercial activity.

2. Maraɗi

Maraɗi is located in the south-central, fertile part of Niger. It has long been a merchant city, due to its business-orientated population, its location along trade routes, and its proximity to the Nigerian border. Maraɗi is branded as the economic capital of Niger because of its contribution to the country’s economy from agricultural and trade activities.

3: More Information

a) For additional information about Maradi please visit the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maradi

b) For additional information about the economy in Niger, please visit the following links:

http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Niger/Economy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Niger