African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1425: Chapter 11: Kitwe’s Path of Transformation

The great development of the pharmaceutical industry is generally influenced by the environment of East Africa. Just as people in flood-prone areas are adept at building water management facilities, the pharmaceutical industry in East Africa was born precisely in a relatively harsh sanitary environment.

If the medical and health issues are not properly addressed, it would be difficult for East Africa to develop, especially in regions with relatively hot and humid climates, or areas prone to various tropical diseases.

This is directly related to the survival of the nation, so even during the poorest colonial era, the East African Government prioritized medical and health governance in its national development affairs.

...

Kitwe City.

In East African cities, Kitwe does not appear frequently in the spotlight, yet it holds a significant industrial position in East African history.

By 1920, Kitwe City had a total population of over 300,000, and it was located in the copper belt region, the largest non-ferrous metal smelting and processing center in the entire East Africa.

Within the copper belt region, Kitwe City is the second largest city, only after Lubumbashi.

In the 1896 national administrative division changes, Kitwe City was separated from the Swabia Province and incorporated into the new Central Province, which is now centered around the East African capital, Rhein City.

Meanwhile, Lubumbashi retained its status as the capital of the Swabia Province, widening the gap between the two cities. It is understandable, as Lubumbashi, being the provincial capital, has a higher political stature and enjoys policy resources that Kitwe City cannot match.

However, this does not temporarily change the fact that Kitwe City is one of the relatively developed industrial cities in East Africa. After all, in terms of population, Kitwe ranks among the top thirty cities in East Africa.

In other countries, Kitwe City would be considered a large city, but in East Africa, it can only be regarded as a medium-sized city.

The formation of Kitwe City originated from East Africa’s exploitation of local copper mines, which was also one of the most important early sources of revenue for the East African countries.

Throughout the last century, copper mines have always been East Africa’s most important export mineral, bringing a large amount of financial income. However, Kitwe City, which thrived on copper mining, is now encountering issues.

For this reason, the Kitwe City government has to discuss the increasingly difficult economic development situation and seek new economic directions and future development paths for Kitwe City.

March 1920. ℴ

At this time, the European flu had not yet spread to Kitwe City, but the entire Kitwe City government was still in a state of high alert.

Deberne, the mayor of Kitwe City, convened a new round of economic development meetings, with the participation of city government officials and local enterprises in Kitwe City.

Deberne said seriously to the attendants: ”Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you already understand the purpose of this meeting, which is to address the economic development bottleneck issues our city has recently encountered.”

”Although on the surface, since the establishment of Kitwe City in the late 1870s, our city’s development speed has been very rapid.”

”Today, Kitwe has grown from a little-known spot on the African Continent into a city with a population of 320,000 and is known worldwide.”

”However, we should also realize that in recent years, Kitwe City’s development has been constrained, particularly under external competition, making it increasingly difficult to move forward.”

Deberne’s statement is obviously an exaggeration; in reality, the world economy has only just encountered a brief slump due to the European flu.

Prior to this, at least in East Africa, benefiting from the red-white of war, most cities nationwide were in a phase of rapid development, and Kitwe City was no exception.

So, in recent years, Kitwe City’s development has not been slow; on the contrary, it’s been quite fast. But why is Deberne so anxious? This needs to be explained from other aspects.

Deberne’s following remarks explained the source of his ”alarmism.”

”Some people might think I am worrying needlessly, as for decades, Kitwe City has been in a developmental stage. Even during the Fourth and Fifth periods, the economic growth of Kitwe City was rapid.”

”However, we obviously cannot just look at the surface and should look much further ahead. Even now, we should be aware of the issues facing our city’s industrial development.”

”Everyone, let’s discuss the real economic situation of our city. Feel free to speak your mind now.” Deberne tossed the question to everyone.

Someone said: ”Mr. Mayor, you might be referring to the industrial structure issue! After all, last year’s year-end five-year plan drafted by the nation emphasized this issue.”

Kitwe City’s industrial structure is overly singular, which is a well-known issue since Kitwe City’s economy relies heavily on copper resources.

In the past, this naturally posed no problem. For decades, East Africa vigorously developed industries like electricity, automobiles, and machinery, greatly demanding copper and other metals, allowing Kitwe City to maintain decades of rapid development.

Deberne nodded and said, ”That’s correct. Anything else?”

Someone said: ”Besides the industrial structure, the difficulties encountered by our city’s economy also include external competition, which is becoming increasingly intense.”

Kitwe City’s mayor, Deberne, said: ”That’s right. In recent years, copper mining areas in South America and the South Sea Region have posed a significant threat to domestic copper belt areas, indirectly leading to a contraction in our city’s copper export, which has already significantly impacted our city’s industry.”