African Entrepreneurship Records

  Chapter 302 Study Group Continued

Hearing this, Wolfgang and others also let go of their hanging hearts a little bit. What von der Leyen said is good. At least from the perspective of the city of Mombasa, the environment is not much different from other nearby cities in the Middle East. It’s easy to say, but if so many immigrants were recruited in East Africa, if a large-scale disease broke out at every turn, it would have long been unable to bear the losses in this regard, and immigration also requires a huge cost.

  Wolfgang: "His Excellency von der Leyen, compared to Mombasa and Nairobi you mentioned, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa. Why don't you attract business there?"

Von der Leyen: "Dar es Salaam is currently the largest city in East Africa, mainly because of historical reasons. It was originally the most important stronghold of Zanzibar on the mainland, so it was developed early. The location is close, and Zanzibar Island is the main body of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, but after the establishment of the Kingdom of East Africa, Dar es Salaam does not have this advantage. The main body of East Africa is the mainland part, Dar es Salaam It is only an important port in East Africa, and its conditions are worse than those of Mombasa."

  Wolfgang: "Where does this start?"

Von der Leyen: "First of all, Mombasa is in the north of East Africa. The distance from Europe and the Far East to Mombasa is closer than Dar es Salaam. I think you understand what this means, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal. Salaam, just like Venice after the decline of the Mediterranean Sea, was replaced by ports along the Atlantic Ocean, and its status has further declined. Another point is that the economic structure in the west of Dar es Salaam is relatively simple, mainly planting food crops, so It is not engaged in grain trade, and it does not have an advantage compared with the radiation area of ​​Mombasa, that is, sisal processing is considered a comparatively advantageous industry, but this aspect is mainly in charge of Tanga City. I believe that your country has no advantage in investing in the sisal industry. .”

  Von der Leyen is right. The Austro-Hungarian Empire did not produce sisal. Naturally, the experience and technology in this area is not as good as that of East Africa, although the sisal industry in East Africa has only been developed for a few years.

  Wolfgang: "Traffic is indeed a big problem, especially the port. The Suez Canal was opened. To be honest, the ports along the coast of East Africa deviate from the main waterway. A port like Mombasa that is close to Europe still has some advantages."

  In terms of sea traffic alone, fortunately Africa is next to the Eurasian continent. If it is like South America, then most of East Africa is really useless, and even North America is similar. If it is Oceania, it will be a **** start. Of course, the situation is quite different when factors such as economy and resources are taken into account. For example, Australia is now in the same position as Siberia, but in the future it will become a favorite because of its rich mineral resources.

  Von der Leyen: "Do you plan to visit the specific situation of Mombasa next, so that you will have a more intuitive experience."

  Wolfgang: "I can't ask for it."

  Von der Leyen signaled, the officials of the Mombasa city government began to lead everyone around the city of Mombasa.

As a free port, Mombasa is divided into two areas. What the inspection team saw just now was only an open area, so in addition to East Africans, you can also meet many foreign sailors and businessmen. The business atmosphere is very strong, with taverns, casinos, and shops. , There are even Japanese-style "entertainment" places, most of whose service personnel are from Japan.

  The west side of the open area is the real face of East African cities. Compared with the open area, it looks very desolate. Most of them are residential areas, including administrative agencies such as the city government. The number of pedestrians on the street is greatly reduced, and it looks very empty.

   "Most citizens mainly work in the east, so during this time period, the western city is a bit empty, and it will be much better in the morning and evening, which is the time to go to and from get off work." Von der Leyen explained.

  Wolfgang: "How many policemen are there in East Africa? I saw a lot along the way."

Von der Leyen: "This is also an important means of maintaining order in East Africa. After all, law and order is part of the living culture. Good law and order requires not only public education, but also people's supervision. But don't worry, the East African Police Department is not just a profiteering institution. , and more importantly, a convenience agency that provides services to citizens. In addition to fighting crime, it will also help citizens guide the way, publicize traffic safety and laws and regulations, and improve the quality of life and sense of security of the people.”

  There are indeed more police officers in East Africa than in Europe. For crimes, including petty theft, it is better to strictly control them, although the crime rate in East Africa is very low.

However, the deepest impression of East Africans on the police is that there are many punishments, including traffic violations, defecating everywhere, littering... all kinds of trivial things, in Ernst's words, this is a necessary means to cultivate the quality of East African residents . The effect is not obvious now, but in the future, after East Africans develop good habits, it can show its power. This is not a big deal. The vast majority of East African immigrants come from the countryside. They need to adapt to the living environment in the city. Compared with the countryside, the city has more rules, and it is too late for these people to learn through education, but punishment can make them very happy. grow up fast.

   Passing an intersection, a group of black-skinned workers appeared in front of everyone, dredging the sewer.

Von der Leyen said: "In addition to normal people, there are still a certain number of black slaves in East Africa. We will use a corresponding number of black laborers according to the project situation, including if you build factories in East Africa, you will also use some blacks in the future. Cost reduction is one of the benefits East Africa provides to investors, as long as you pay a small material fee, you can get the main body of the factory building you want.”

  Wolfgang: "Including the workers will use them too!"

  Von der Leyen: "That's not the case. They can only be regarded as a supplement to part of the labor force in East Africa. The main workers are still East African residents."

  Wolfgang: "Why not just use all black slaves, the cost will be lower then!"

  Von der Leyen: "This is related to the East African assimilation policy. Excessive reliance on black slaves may cause backlash. We don't want to be like the United States, where black people will appear in the future."

  (end of this chapter)