African Entrepreneurship Record

”At present, our country has a large railway network but it is not strong. Many advanced technologies still rely on foreign countries. Of course, the Ministry of Railways is actively promoting the training of railway talents and overcoming technical challenges. It is estimated that it will take only twenty to thirty years to catch up to the international level,” Andre said.

Ernst: ”Technology is an accumulation process, not an overnight achievement. This matter needs to be handled steadily, with no shortcuts. At the same time, I hope the railway department also adheres to this principle. Subordinate units should not always look for convenience; the idea that it’s better to buy than to build is absolutely unacceptable. The foundation must always be self-reliance.”

Of course, Ernst was just saying this. In reality, in the 19th century, relying on purchasing was the fastest way to break through technical barriers, otherwise, East Africa would not have developed to its current state.

However, buying is also a skill, and one must understand the technology; otherwise, you’ll be fooled and waste time and money.

Besides buying technology, another way to acquire it is through ”replicating.” These two methods are currently the ”tricks” for rapid development in East Africa’s industrial sector.

”The current uneven distribution of railways greatly hinders our country’s development, especially in newly acquired territories. Reconstructing the railway network is one of the key development areas for the next ten years,” Ernst said.

”Our country has a short history and a weak foundation, so our railway development time is short. Based on the situation of railway development abroad, it is estimated that in the next ten years, East Africa should build at least 40,000 kilometers of railways to barely meet the demand.”

Increasing by 40,000 kilometers means a total of 60,000 kilometers, roughly equivalent to building 2,000 kilometers of railway every year by parents.

East Africa has a weak foundation, many lessons to learn, and spends a lot of money, so railway construction cannot be done in pursuit of quick success.

This is also related to the current global economic situation. The leap in railway construction in the seventies was due to the economic crisis opportunity, with the world experiencing excess steel production capacity.

Of course, the target set by Ernst is still conservative, considering that after the end of the South African War, East Africa’s national defense pressure has sharply decreased, and military expenditure has been reduced.

Military spending is never a small number, just like the Japanese government invests over sixty percent of its income annually into naval construction to develop its navy, making it the most militaristic country in the world today.

The same goes for Germany; its naval tonnage has now increased to 190,000 tons. In the early 1980s, the two countries were at the same level, and now Germany’s naval tonnage is about twice that of East Africa, and the German army is also maintained at around 400,000. William II plans to expand the German army this year, making it just about twice that of East Africa.

Germany is also forced to do this. Neighboring France’s standing army has surpassed 500,000, and to the east of Germany is the gigantic Tsarist Russia, so even if the German Army expands by another double, it’s barely enough.

East Africa, on the other hand, is much more comfortable. Currently, the East African Navy’s tonnage has decreased to just over 90,000 tons, 30,000 tons less than in the 1980s, while the army has been downsized to around 200,000 after the South African War.

However, compared to the decrease in numbers, East Africa’s military expenditure has not decreased significantly, with most of it used to enhance military industrial capabilities and improve the quality of the troops.

According to Ernst, reducing the army is for the healthy development of the military, not to weaken it. If Ernst wanted to, the East African Defense Army could completely relax like the United States Army.

The United States Army’s active duty force is only 30,000, and the reserve force, even with strengthening, is only 130,000. Of course, Americans do not require a large-scale army.

The United States Navy’s tonnage has increased to 240,000 tons, second in the world only to England and France and surpassing Germany, representing a typical ”small army, large navy” setup.

East Africa can only admire the scale of the United States Navy. In 1890, the United States surpassed Britain to become the world’s largest industrial nation.

Considering America’s economic strength, its navy is not exactly ”extravagant.” For example, the world’s second-largest navy, the French Navy, has a tonnage of more than 320,000 tons.

The British Navy’s tonnage exceeds 600,000, illustrating that the confidence of England and France in dominating the world order comes from these numbers.

Even if France lost the Prussian War, it only lost its status as the continental overlord but did not change its status as the world’s second-strongest nation. After all, no matter how strong the German army is, its navy is firmly suppressed by England and France.

In fact, the tonnage of the Tsarist Russian Navy is not small either, comparable to France. However, like Germany, Tsarist Russia is geographically constrained, with its main Baltic Fleet spinning around the Baltic Sea along with the German Navy.

All in all, in the 19th century, the military investments of all nations were a huge burden, though unlike Japan in extreme measures, it still impacted economic development.

Maintaining a sufficiently large army in East Africa can also drag down the economy, but it remains within an acceptable range and is necessary. After all, there are still twenty million Black people in the country. Without an adequate army to suppress them, it will have an adverse impact on East African society.

Conversely, the economic value created by the twenty million Black people can certainly feed back into the East African economy, making it worthwhile overall, as it essentially means Black people help shoulder East Africa’s military expenses.

It’s important to note that Japan’s population is only about thirty million, and the value created by twenty million Black people far exceeds that of Japan. East Africa is not a resource-poor country like Japan, so even if the productivity level of Black people is low, with East Africa’s push, they can break through their original productivity standards.

This is particularly evident in agriculture and mining, while in infrastructure construction, Black people have also made significant contributions, although their specific value is difficult to quantify.

Ernst said, ”Railways and roads can spur the rapid development of industries such as steel, so annual railway construction should trend upwards. This is necessary to meet East Africa’s development needs. In the future, East Africa must construct several nationwide railway lines to form a railway network covering the entire country.”

”Take Southwest Africa, for example. Although it seems worthless now, its vast area and rich underground resources mean that even there, at least one main railway line should be built to connect Whale Bay Port with the inland.”

”The south-central railway should extend to Bloemfontein and Kimberley and further to the West Kalahari Basin and north of the Orange River, up to Apington. There is also a need for a southwest-northeast railway line, which is of great significance for maintaining national defense security.”

”In the north, the Azande Plateau, Great Lakes Region, and Somali all need railway construction. The railway network in the middle and East should also be improved. The middle and East have already been developed, with a large population in the cities, and need a denser railway network to boost sustained economic growth.”

”Lastly, the eastern coastal area is like the railways many countries build along the coast. The East African eastern plain also needs a north-south coastal railway to promote the economic development and linkage of coastal cities.”

East Africa’s eastern coastal line is over 5,000 kilometers long, and constructing a railway along the coastline would require at least 4,000 kilometers. Ernst’s vision is a massive project.

Moreover, if an eastern coastal railway is built, the West will surely follow in the future. Even in the harsh natural environment of Southwest Africa, the western railway along the Atlantic Ocean should be no less than 1,000 kilometers.

The East African officials did not doubt East Africa’s ability to complete these projects because the ability to build railways increases incrementally over time. Just like the rapid expansion of the American railways is a history of only recent decades.

East Africa’s territory is larger than the United States, and its population is larger too, with a much greater dependence on railways than the United States, which has vast Central Plains and a developed water transportation network.

All these are what East Africa lacks, so the significance attached to railways in East Africa is even more pronounced. On this basis, East African railways need to at least reach a level comparable to the United States in the future to be considered reasonable.