African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 313: Chapter 300 Inspection Delegation Continued

Upon hearing this, Wolfgang and the others also felt somewhat relieved. Von der Leyen was right; at least from the perspective of the city of Mombasa, there isn’t much difference from the environment of other Middle Eastern cities nearby. The inland areas are harder to say, but given East Africa has recruited so many immigrants, if large-scale outbreaks of disease were to occur frequently, they would have already been unable to bear the losses in this area. Immigration also involves significant costs.

Wolfgang: ”Lord Von der Leyen, compared to Mombasa and the other cities you mentioned like Nairobi, why don’t you conduct business invitations in Dar es Salaam, which is the largest city in East Africa?”

Von der Leyen: ”Dar es Salaam, as the current largest city in East Africa, is mainly due to historical reasons. Originally, it was the most important base of Zanzibar on the mainland, developed early and located close to Zanzibar Island, which is the main part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar. However, after the Kingdom of East Africa was established, Dar es Salaam lost this advantage. The main part of East Africa is the mainland, and Dar es Salaam is merely an important port of East Africa, with conditions slightly inferior to Mombasa.”

Wolfgang: ”What do you mean by that?”

Von der Leyen: ”Firstly, Mombasa is located in northern East Africa, closer to Europe and the Far East than Dar es Salaam. I think you also understand what this implies, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal, Dar es Salaam, like Venice after the decline of the Mediterranean, was replaced by ports along the Atlantic coast, further lowering its status. Another point is that the economic structure of the western part of Dar es Salaam is relatively simple, primarily based on growing grain crops, so if it’s not grain trade, it lacks an advantage compared to the area radiation of Mombasa. Sisal fiber processing is considered a comparatively advantageous industry, but this is mainly handled by the city of Tanga. I believe your country does not have much advantage in investing in the sisal fiber industry.”

Von der Leyen was right about this. Austria-Hungary does not produce sisal, so naturally lacks experience and technology in this area compared to East Africa, although the East African sisal industry has only developed for a few years.

Wolfgang: ”Transportation is indeed a major issue, especially with the ports. With the opening of the Suez Canal, frankly, the ports along the East African coast have deviated from the main navigation route. Only ports like Mombasa, which are closer to Europe, still hold certain advantages.”

Solely from a maritime transportation perspective, Africa is fortunately close to the Eurasian continent. If it were like South America, much of East Africa would truly be wasted, likewise even North America wouldn’t fare much better. If it were Oceania, it would be an even tougher start. Of course, considering economic and resource factors, the situation would be very different; for instance, Australia is currently comparable to Siberia in status, but in the future, due to its rich mineral resources, it will become a coveted prize.

Von der Leyen: ”Do you all intend to see the specific situation of the city of Mombasa next? This way you will have a more direct impression.”

Wolfgang: ”That would be ideal.”

Von der Leyen gestured slightly, and Mombasa city government officials started leading everyone for a tour around the city of Mombasa.

As a free port, Mombasa was divided into two areas. The area just seen by the inspection group was merely the open area; hence, besides East Africans, one can also see many foreign sailors and merchants, with a thick commercial atmosphere. Taverns, casinos, and shops abound, and there are even Japanese-style ”entertainment” facilities, most of whose staff come from Japan.

However, the true face of East African cities lies to the west of the open area, which appears rather desolate compared to the open area, mostly residential areas, including city government administrative offices, with far fewer pedestrians on the streets, making them appear very spacious.

”Most residents mainly work in the east, so during this time period, the western urban area seems a bit spacious. It gets much busier during morning and evening rush hours, or rather, at work and commuting times.” Von der Leyen explained.

Wolfgang: ”Are there many police officers in East Africa? I’ve seen quite a few on this route.”

Von der Leyen: ”This is also an important means of maintaining East African order. After all, public order is part of residential culture. Besides public education, good public order requires supervision. However, you need not worry; East African police are not merely violent units but primarily serve the citizens as convenience units. Besides combating crime, they also help citizens with directions, promote traffic safety and laws and regulations, and enhance the quality of life and sense of security among the populace.”

East African police are indeed more numerous compared to Europe. With regard to crime, including petty theft issues, it’s best to enforce strictly, although the crime rate in East Africa is low.

Currently, the most profound impression of East African police on people is the numerous penalties, including traffic violations, urinating or littering in public places... various trivial matters. As Ernst puts it, this is a necessary means to cultivate the quality of East African residents. The effect may not be evident now, but as East Africans develop good habits in the future, its power will show. This isn’t considered making a fuss over trifles; most East African immigrants come from rural areas, and they need to adapt to the urban living environment, which compared to rural areas is full of rules. While education is too slow, penalties can help them grow quickly.

After crossing an intersection, a group of dark-skinned workers appeared before everyone, busy clearing the sewers.

Von der Leyen said: ”Besides normal people, East Africa has a certain number of Black Slaves. Depending on the engineering situation, we employ a corresponding number of Black people as laborers. If you establish factories in East Africa, a portion of Black people will be used, allowing you to reduce costs. This is considered one of the benefits East Africa offers to investors. For a modest material fee, you can obtain the desired factory building structure.”

Wolfgang: ”Including using them as workers!”

Von der Leyen: ”Not at all; they merely supplement part of East Africa’s labor force. The main workers are still East African residents.”

Wolfgang: ”Why not use Black Slaves exclusively, wouldn’t that lower costs further?”

Von der Leyen: ”This concerns East Africa’s assimilation policy; excessive reliance on Black Slaves may cause backlash, and we don’t want to end up like the United States, facing issues with Black populations in the future.”