African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 602: Chapter 280 Prosperous New City

”Hmm, it seems you are well-acquainted with the factory’s situation as its director. This is the era of science and technology, and what East Africa lacks are cultured individuals, so it’s still crucial to heed the experts’ advice. However, there’s a saying that blindly believing in books is worse than having no books at all; theoretical research inevitably clashes with reality, so our East African factories must combine theory with practice and focus diligently on production.”

Constantine was most skilled in military matters and was not well-versed in corporate management, especially with East Africa’s state-owned enterprises, so he refrained from giving random orders and could only offer encouraging words.

Of course, Constantine thought this to himself, but in reality, he was influenced by East Africa’s overall environment as he had previously been exposed to similar enterprises. Prussia, being a proponent of large government, had numerous factories managed by the state, chiefly evident in sectors like military industries, with the typical example being railway nationalization and other areas.

It’s just that there are too many state-owned enterprises in East Africa, though East Africa also has many private enterprises. In the east, there are numerous businesses invested by German merchants, only East Africa is stricter in management, so the investment volume is not substantial.

These private enterprises only occupy a minor part of East Africa’s economy, yet they cannot be ignored since their acceptance of East Africa’s rules indicates these merchants are committed to developing industries genuinely. East Africa does not discriminate against merchants, merely imposing more restrictions. Legitimate businessmen willing to accept East Africa’s rules are still welcome here.

The director of the Harare City Tobacco Factory was naturally very pleased upon hearing Constantine’s words, as gaining the approval of a senior leader was difficult, and it was the King’s first visit to the Matebel Province for inspection, so he respectfully said, ”We will certainly redouble our efforts and strive to contribute our strength to the country’s economic development!”

Later, amid the crowd’s mixed reverence and familiarity, Constantine left the tobacco factory, using a luxury carriage brought by a special train as his mode of transportation.

Peering through the window, Constantine began evaluating Harare’s urban planning. As Constantine’s visit to Harare was not deliberately publicized, there were no road closures, and people hurriedly went about their daily activities on the streets as usual.

Of course, Constantine’s motorcade still attracted the attention of pedestrians, as there was an escort of mounted police, and the motorcade was very long, making it obvious that a distinguished figure was visiting.

As for who, Harare’s citizens were uncertain, thinking it couldn’t possibly be the King himself visiting, as there was no precedent for this in East Africa.

Constantine, on the other hand, was quite intrigued as he observed the bustling crowd outside through the window. Fortunately, East African city roads were relatively wide, so even with Constantine’s motorcade occupying the west side of the main road, the sides were still available for normal citizen use and vehicle passage.

Harare City’s total population was approximately 160,000, quickly catching up with older cities in a short time, thus being termed a nouveau city.

Along with serving as the sub-center of the Matebel Province, the original capital city Bulawayo of the Matebel Kingdom also had a population of over ten thousand. From the population scale of these two cities, one could get a glimpse of East Africa’s support for the Matebel Province.

”Your Majesty, according to the itinerary, next we shall visit the Harare City Chrome Plant, then the steel plant, and a newly built arsenals factory, as well as the Harare City Locomotive Manufacturing Plant,” the old butler Kade said.

Harare’s vicinity is rich in chrome ore resources, with chrome mines spread within sixty kilometers of the city, making it one of the hubs for East African ferrochrome smelting, one of Harare City’s distinctive industries.

Of course, gold mines also exist in Harare City, but unlike chrome ore, East Africa does not plan to develop new gold mines for the time being, as there are plenty in the east. Even Ernst himself wants to know how much gold exists beneath the soil of East Africa.

The explanation for the arsenals factory is rather straightforward; East African military industries are sure to deploy in the Matebel Province, as it is East Africa’s hinterland and strategic rear, and in the future, some classified institutions and factories might also be deployed in Matebel Province and other inland regions.

The steel plant and locomotive manufacturing plant are typical factories in East Africa, as Harare is an important node city along the Central Railway line. Unlike First Town City and Soga City on the same railway line, Harare does not have the related industrial deployment because the positioning of these two cities is different.

The above are just some of the key industries in Harare City, but there are many more supporting factories and facilities surrounding these industries.

Such as chrome ore plant, Constantine mostly just viewed from the outside, meeting the leadership and workers within the factory, whereas he didn’t have time to inspect the other processing plants around the chrome ore plant.

Constantine’s visit to Harare City was his first deep dive into the development landscape of East Africa’s interior, and thus far, Constantine was quite satisfied with Harare City’s construction status.

As a city designed first and built later, Harare differs significantly from the East African cities in the east, which might not have many years of history since their construction, but at least developed roughly during the colonial era.

At that time, East Africa lacked additional funds and energy to invite European architects to plan East African cities, so those early cities somewhat had a spontaneous development aspect.

Moreover, in that era, European architects were hesitant to take risks and venture to East Africa for design, as East Africa was still considered a region of barbarism in the rigid views of Europeans.

With the rise of a series of coastal cities in East Africa, their clean and prosperous urban appearance and flourishing trade attracted merchants to place orders or enjoy services in Dar es Salaam City and Mombasa City, spreading East Africa’s good reputation through these merchants, which enhanced its image.

After all, East Africa’s service is top-notch, with few matches along the Indian Ocean coast, naturally not without drawbacks, as East Africa’s law and order are so good it’s somewhat challenging to engage in high-end play. People who travel the sea tend to be uninhibited types, focusing more on pleasure.

Nonetheless, the number of merchants and sailors visiting East African coastal cities has increased since petty thieves and pickpockets are rare, law enforcement is ample, and security is vital for many people.

With a good reputation, East Africa could leverage the opportunity to recruit talents from Europe, setting the context for Harare City’s urban construction to be completely different from before.

After the expert group conducted an on-site investigation, spending several months designing, Harare City’s construction projects finally began to break ground.

The development of Harare placed the most emphasis on the underground drainage system, roads, potable water pipelines, and other civilian infrastructure constructions, while reserving space for future city modifications.

Like other cities, Harare also focuses on environmental issues, with many parks and green spaces throughout the city, lending vibrancy to the city.

However, Ernst has not conducted an on-site inspection; his last visit to Harare City was a business trip here in a previous life, when Harare was lauded as ”Little Paris of Africa,” ”Sunshine City,” and ”Flower Tree City.”

The city center area was indeed beautiful, yet Harare was also selected as one of the ”world’s least livable cities.”

This is not contradictory; many foreign countries have both slums and affluent areas, and Harare is no exception. Furthermore, safety issues do not correlate with development level; however, many African countries lack even a bit of order.

But these issues have nothing to do with the current Harare City; in a previous life, Harare inherited British culture and architecture, while in this lifetime, under East Africa’s control, it has become entirely Germanized, making the two placement incomparable.