I Really Didn’t Want To Make A Lot Of Money

TAZARA is the abbreviation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Administration. It is headquartered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the person in charge is dispatched by the two countries in turn.

The chairman of TAZARA this term is a native of Bamba, Zambia, named Mweene. He participated in the Tanzania-Zambia Railway project when he was young, from survey and design to the final construction. After the railway was built, he never left the railway, watching the railway change from a symbol of economic freedom to a symbol of Africa's decline and backwardness.

"We can't let the situation on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway worsen..." Mweene is nearly sixty years old. He is well maintained and has a good appetite. His eloquence makes it impossible to believe that he is a technician.

From sitting down, eating and talking while eating, Mweene was talking for nearly an hour, and the warchief and Chen Ling only listened.

The situation on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is now very bad.

In the past ten years, the cargo capacity of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway has been declining, from 1.2 million tons in 1990 to 600,000 tons this year.

Railway locomotives are aging, most of the locomotive heads are no longer in use, and the annual maintenance of locomotives requires 25 million US dollars. Because it is unable to make ends meet, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway has encountered a financial crisis and has begun to default on workers' wages.

Seeing that his old friend was silent, the chief told all the bad conditions of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and scared Chen Ling away.

He asked: "What is the reason why the Tanzania-Zambia Railway has fallen to today?"

Mweene glanced at Chen Ling and said, "A lot of Chinese engineers and workers came to the construction site, and at most there were 17,000."

"So much!" Chen Ling was very surprised. He actually sent so many people to Africa for one project. China back then did its best to support Africa.

Mwenet sighed: "Yes, I had many Chinese friends back then. But now the situation has changed. We have to pay every year to get your help."

The chief said with a smile: "Passengers pay to buy tickets."

There is no free lunch, and of course there is no free ticket. The Tanzania-Zambia Railway, which was built with Chinese aid, undermined this truth to some extent.

Mwene said: "Since 1986, Chinese experts have gradually returned to China. We can't get technical support because we don't have enough money to purchase the services of Chinese experts. This is a very strange thing. Perhaps the railway shouldn't exist."

Is this a railway doomed to lose money? Is it just a product of political cooperation?

Chen Ling thought, since this railway is not economically feasible, perhaps letting it decline is the best choice. It is not embarrassing to lose the so-called natural selection in the market competition.

Mwene added: “Things have been changing. After South Africa became independent, ports were opened to all countries, so Zambia has more access to the sea, such as Whale Harbor in Namibia and Durban Port in South Africa. Railway traffic has dropped."

"However, our Zambia economy has developed rapidly in recent years. For example, the export volume of mineral products has increased several times, and transportation demand has also skyrocketed. In fact, the current transportation demand has exceeded the transportation capacity designed by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. However, our locomotive is broken, and the railway has many problems, and it can no longer run at full capacity."

Mweene looked helpless.

Chief Bemba asked Chen Ling: "Mr. Chen, what do you think?"

The several railway projects led by Chen Ling are all well-known in Africa. As an industry insider, Mweney has long heard of it. He took the initiative to introduce Chief Bamba.

Chief Bemba has always known the thoughts of his old friends, so this meeting in Lusaka was made.

Chen Ling didn't think so much. In his view, whether the infrastructure can be good or not depends on the funds.

He said: "Since there is demand in the market, TAZARA should find funds to repair the railway so that it can operate normally and manage it well, and it will be able to embark on a virtuous circle in the future."

The problem is not complicated and the method is very simple, but whether it can be done is another matter.

Mwenet smiled bitterly: "Mr. Chen sees it very clearly that the problem is that we can't find funds. The country has no money, and China is unwilling to continue investing. Therefore, we plan to privatize the railway."

Chen Ling let out a cry, thinking that you finally said your intentions. But he didn't answer Mwenet's words.

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway is 1,800 kilometers long, and privatizing such a large amount of assets is not an easy task.

Upon seeing this, Chief Bemba gave an assist to an old friend: "Mr. Chen, you have successful railway experience in Africa. What are your thoughts on the privatization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway?"

Chen Ling waved his hand: "I have no idea, because I don't understand this railway."

Mwene said: "Although we want to privatize, we must give priority to Chinese companies."

"We can't say that it is a Chinese company, we are just a Chinese company." Chen Ling smiled, "Mr. Chairman, I remember that the unit responsible for the construction of railways has now been transformed into an enterprise. Maybe they will be interested?"

Chen Ling just talked casually. He believes that TAZARA must have contacted that company before.

Seeing that Chen Ling had been evasive, the warchief guessed that he might have concerns, and Timwine replied: "TAZARA has already contacted them, and their superiors do not allow them, on the grounds that operating railways is not their main business. "

"Which is the superior unit?" Chen Ling asked.

The scale of the restructured enterprise is already very large, and the higher-level unit is probably the domestic competent authority. If the competent authority disagrees, then the company really has no choice.

Mwenet was surprised: "Mr. Chen, don't you know? CS company, the company that contracted the Bamako-Dakar railway project."

Chen Ling didn't know anything about it, nodded and said, "CS company is very familiar to me... I didn't expect that I can't get around these big companies after going around."

Chief Bamba played the role of an intermediary today and said: Mr. Chen, I have a suggestion. You have the ability to invest and operate railways, and CS is a well-known railway engineering company. Is it possible that the two can be combined to help Mwene solve problems together? "

Chen Ling thought this wasn't impossible, but it was not the time to talk about it.

"Mr. Chairman just said that perhaps the Tanzania-Zambia Railway shouldn't exist. What I want to say is that private capital is profit-seeking. If operating this railway is not profitable, I am not willing to participate. Therefore, we must first study and study. ."

He didn't say anything to death.

The significance of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is different. It is a symbol of friendship between China and Africa. If it is possible to improve the railway and restore the status of the year, Chen Ling is willing.

Mwenet nodded: "We will cooperate with you in research, so all the materials are readily available."

The chief smiled: "Mr. Chen, you are not the first entrepreneur to study the privatization of railways, but I think you will be the last."

Chen Ling said: "It is very difficult. The condition of the railway is not good, and the number of kilometers is so long, which puts too much pressure on investors. If other high-quality projects can be bundled together, it will help privatization."

This is his routine, he did it in Cameroon, and he did it in Sierra Leone.

Resources and infrastructure are mutually reinforcing.

Zambia is very rich in mineral resources. There are dozens of metal mines, non-metal mines, and gemstone mines. Among them, copper, cobalt, iron, etc. are particularly abundant.

Mwenet smiled and did not speak. TAZARA has a very high level, but a poor company is not welcome.

Chen Ling is not embarrassed by him. He will send someone to investigate the railway. If the final investigation result is not good, he will definitely not participate.

Nowadays, Chen Ling's development focus has changed, and it is lighter, higher-tech telecommunications, digital TV and information systems.

Therefore, railway projects are optional.

Chief Bemba groaned slightly, patted the back of Mwenet's hand on the table, and said: "Mr. President is going to Bemba's ancestral land. Go too. Let's mention this to him together."

Mweene looked at Chief Bemba gratefully and said: "I was mentioned by investors before, but it was rejected. But if you speak, Chief Chief, the effect is definitely different."

The warchief smiled and said, "Banda thinks that Mr. Chen is a crocodile god, and he will bring miracles."

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