African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 117: Chapter 112: Ambition

Although the main focus is on developing agriculture, other industries can also be started, such as some handicrafts and more basic industries.

After all, as the population in East Africa continues to grow, it is impossible to rely on imports for everything like pots and pans, as the costs would be terrifying.

Handicrafts are easy to understand, like blacksmith shops, tailor shops, carpentry... These are industries that meet the daily needs of the East African people, and can be opened up first.

As for basic industries, they refer to those industries that are suitable for the current East African colonies and have low thresholds, such as the cement needed for the East African colonies. It’s not a solution to keep importing from Europe, so to save costs, it’s better to build factories in East Africa.

There are also some processing industries that can increase the added value of East African agricultural products, such as flour mills, oil refineries, and textile mills, that can also be introduced.

And these factories can’t do without steam engines, so it’s also necessary to develop local coal resources in East Africa. Once the Mbeya coal mines are developed and need to be transported across East Africa, there will be transportation requirements...

In short, it is quite a complicated process, but there is no need to rush; it should be completed step by step. If successful, it will only be a bonus for the current East Africa; if not, there is no significant loss.

The military industry is an important sector for ensuring the security of East African colonies, second only to agriculture. Currently, machines retired from European arms factories are being re-armed in the East African colonies.

This can ensure some supply of weapons and ammunition, and in the future, after exploiting the resources in East Africa, it can also be used as a basis to replicate ammunition for artillery.

In a short time, a self-sufficient supply of weapons and ammunition will be formed. Of course, artillery ammunition is still in a hurry, as the Heixinggen factory in Trieste has not yet entered the production phase, and artillery production is not yet in place, so the East African colonies still need to wait for some time.

Aside from the work of immigration and industry, the expansion tasks for 1868 cannot be left behind. Now, two directions are being watched: one is northwest, and the other is the Omo River Basin (the border of Kenya and Ethiopia).

There is no need to say much about the northwest; it has always been a place Ernst has wanted to conquer, as it is the most fertile area in all of East Africa.

If the Omo River Basin is not taken while the British and Ethiopia are at war, there may not be such a good opportunity in the future. After all, the British attack on the Abyssinian Empire will certainly be from the direction of the Red Sea.

And since the Omo River is located in the southwest of Ethiopia, East Africa and the British are each doing their own thing, without interfering with each other.

As for the Abyssinian Empire’s focus, it is certainly on the British, as the heartland of Ethiopia is in the central and northern regions.

The southwest is all highland mountains, and there are many tribes, so the Abyssinian Empire’s control there is relatively weak.

The reason for seizing the Omo River Basin is water resources; the entire northern part of Kenya is relatively arid, and the Omo River Basin is a rare area with abundant rainfall. At the same time, the Omo River is crucial to the safety of Lake Turkana.

As for any future trouble from the Abyssinian Empire towards East Africa, there’s no need to worry. The Abyssinian Empire’s control over the south is relatively weak, and the area is primarily inhabited by the Oromo people and the Lu Luo Clans.

The control of the Abyssinian Empire over the area is similar to the so-called vassal states in the East, so unless it threatens the core interests of the Abyssinian Empire, there isn’t much to worry about.

If the Abyssinian Empire is not calm, the East African colony’s weapons will calm it down, as East African colonies are not like Britain and Italy fighting on foreign soil.

Apart from these potential trouble spots, the northern part of Kenya also needs development. Although few in number, the local indigenous people (due to deserts and grasslands) should not be ignored.

The northern part of Kenya is designated as pastureland for ranching; agriculture isn’t suitable there.

Unless it’s around rivers and lakes where there is a water supply, then some drought-tolerant crops, like millet, might be feasible.

But much of northern Kenya consists of seasonal rivers and saltwater lakes, so water is relatively scarce, which is only suitable for livestock drinking.

Water-scarce areas are also suitable for developing some specialty crops, but the current level in East Africa is inadequate, so herding remains the simplest solution.

However, even with herding, caution is needed to plan the pastures within a reasonable range and avoid permanent damage to the grasslands.

Apart from these tasks, intelligence work towards the west (Zambia, Zimbabwe) can also be initiated.

In 1868, the exploration of the areas of Zambia and Zimbabwe must be completed, especially the copper belt at the junction of Zambia and Congo.

This is the world’s largest sedimentary copper deposit, known in the past as the Zambian-Congo Copperbelt, with copper reserves totaling 15% of the world’s, not just in quantity but also in quality.

One wonders who could resist such temptation; if any great power learned of it, they would surely swarm. Needless to say, Ernst was very tempted too.

Moreover, the copper belt is located on the Katanga Plateau, not very far from East Africa, about seven hundred kilometers west from Mbeya.

Apart from copper, the Katanga Plateau is rich in other resources including cobalt, tin, radium, uranium, and diamonds...

To avoid clashes and conflicts with the Portuguese, East Africa can hold off on exploring the Zimbabwe region for now, while Zambia and the southern part of Congo can be surveyed first, with actions planned after resolving the northern territorial issues of East Africa.

...

Ernst scribbled and doodled freely with a pen on draft paper, which was quickly filled up page after page.

These are the tasks East Africa has to complete in 1868; Ernst organized and transcribed them into a memorandum.

It must be said, this is an ambitious plan, made easier only because the competition in Africa is relatively sparse (almost nonexistent), allowing Ernst to seize the opportunity.

As for the natives, the East African colony with their firearms is acting as a higher force.

The real threat to the East African colony was not from the indigenous tribes, but from the harsh African environment.

Especially the primal forests in the Zambia River Basin, the conditions of which are beyond imagination. Northern Zambia is alright, mainly because of the tropical savannah, so the East African colony finds it relatively easy to seize the land between Zambia and the Congo’s Katanga Plateau to East Africa.

As for Lake Malawi, the Malawi Kingdom on the southwestern shore is temporarily not in Ernst’s consideration. A buffer zone is required between East Africa and Mozambique, and the Malawi Kingdom has a strong autonomy, scarcely influenced by Portuguese power.

It effectively isolates East Africa from Portuguese influence. As for the eastern part, East Africa has temporarily reached an agreement with Mozambique, with the Ruvu River serving as a natural barrier, with only a small segment of direct border, so there’s nothing much to worry about.