"Mr. President, I'm sorry to bother you."
At the gate of the Presidential Palace in Loti, the capital of the Republic of Colo, a guard soldier checked the vehicle that Jammeh Godo was riding in, saluted and let him pass, and said to him.
"What's your name? Soldier."
"Reporting to the President, I am Sergeant Sani Disai!"
Hearing the soldier's resounding answer, Jammeh Godot nodded and said,
"Sani, you did a good job. I should thank you for your dedication to your duties."
After receiving the president's praise, Sani Disai saluted again, standing straight.
After getting off the car and returning to the presidential residence, he said goodbye to his family and went to the study alone. He picked up the documents he brought back today and his eyes fell on one of them.
The name of the document is: "Feasibility Analysis on Withdrawing from the West African Franc Zone and Issuing a New Currency."
Of course, this document has not yet been discussed within the government, but was sent directly from the Anglo-African Institute in London.
Thinking of this, the image of the young British Duke appeared in Jammeh Godot's mind.
Although Jammeh Godot has not personally met Duke Barron Cavendish, who secretly controls Colo, so far.
But news and information about him is not difficult to find, even in a small West African country like Kolo.
After all, the other party is a truly super-rich man who is as wealthy as a country.
Jammeh Bongo went from being a small leader of an anti-government armed group based in a corner of the grassland area to becoming the president of the entire country in just a few months. The change in his status was huge.
Even in the beginning, facing the admiring gazes of the people, he would often feel as if he were in a dream.
But the rational Jammeh understands where the power that brought him to this position came from. The same power that made him the president can also destroy him.
Even a country as powerful as the United States can understand the consequences of angering capital by looking at what happened to Kennedy, let alone the so-called "president" of a small West African country like him?
Frankly speaking, after completing the negotiations with French mining companies on the redistribution of phosphate mine benefits under his leadership, Jammeh also gained great popularity at home.
Promoted by the West Africa Media Group - a media conglomerate comprising television stations, radio stations and newspapers taken over by the West Africa Group - this was seen as a huge victory for national sovereignty since Kolo's independence.
At such a moment, Jammeh Bongo had more ideas, such as... obtaining power that matches his current status.
Is it even possible... to become a national hero like Mandela?
Of course, this was just a fleeting thought. After all, reason prevailed the next second. He understood that Jia Mei could not guarantee that all the people around him, even the guards he had just seen at the door, would be loyal to him or to His Royal Highness the Duke.
Therefore, the greater possibility... no, it is almost absolute, as long as you really have ambitions, if you make the slightest mistake, what awaits you is destruction.
After all, if he can support himself to the position of president, he can also allow others to sit in this position, such as Thomas Caborre of the Colombo Socialist Party.
Jammeh couldn't help but think of what the Duke of Barron Cavendish had said to him during several phone calls:
"Mr. Bongo, it's not just Kolo, the whole of Africa is in chaos and poverty. Why is this? Is it because the resources here are not fertile enough, or the people are not hardworking enough? Of course not. Many reasons have led to the current reality."
"No matter how you view the presence of the West African Group in Kolo, Mr. Bongo, I hope you can think clearly whether you want to appear independent like South Africa but lose the opportunity for development, or you want the people's lives to be effectively improved..."
"The reality is that given Kolo's situation, it is doomed to be unable to participate in the game of big countries. Being able to stay out of trouble is already the best outcome... But this is a rare opportunity in Africa. If you cooperate with us, I can guarantee that the people of Kolo will be able to get rid of their current poverty, the children will be able to study without worries, and the adults will be able to live a dignified life through hard work, without hunger and despair..."
"And you, Mr. Bongo, will become the 'Father of Democracy' of Kolo and a national hero, as long as you do not try to destroy this fragile country with unrealistic 'ambitions'."
Jammeh Bongo once studied in England, and can be considered one of the Koro citizens who "opened their eyes to the world."
He also learned about the history of many countries in the world. He was very envious of big countries like the United States, Russia, and China. Because of their size, they had the opportunity to trial and error, and even if they had been weak, they could still return to the center stage.
For a small country like Kolo, located in Africa, their upper limit is just a slightly wealthy country.
For Chloe, this is what they have always dreamed of.
You know, the total GDP of the entire country of Colo in 2003 was only 980 billion West African francs, equivalent to less than 1.5 billion euros, and the per capita GDP was less than 215 euros...
In Loti, the most prosperous capital of the entire country, the average monthly salary is about 15,000 CFA francs...well, that's about 21.5 euros.
No wonder they are one of the least developed countries in the world.
It can be said that if they rely on themselves alone, they will not be able to carry out any infrastructure construction...
After all, the country's total GDP is only 1.5 billion euros a year, and there is not much money that can be used for development and construction.
Just like what Barron said to Jammeh, as long as he could feed the people and solve their poverty, then Jammeh Bongo would be a national hero of Kolo!
Thinking of this, Jammeh Bongo sighed and no longer had any idea of confronting the Duke.
The annual GDP of the entire country is only 1.5 billion euros. How much money does His Royal Highness the Duke have?
In the recently released Forbes rich list, Barron Cavendish's assets are 20 billion US dollars, more than 15 billion euros...
This is equivalent to the GDP of the entire country of Kolo for ten years...
How could he have the courage to confront such a person?
At this time, Jammeh Bongo's eyes fell on the documents in front of him again.
He opened the document and read it again.
The currency currently used by Kolo is not issued by themselves, but is called the West African franc.
The full name of the West African franc is "African Financial Community franc" (franc de la Communauté Financière Africaine). It is the common currency of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (including eight countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo).
The operation of the West African CFA franc mainly follows the following four principles:
First, it maintains a fixed exchange rate with the euro (it was the French franc before the euro was born) (1 euro = 695 West African CFA francs).
Second, it can be exchanged with the euro without restrictions.
Third, in exchange for France's guarantee of the West African franc, West African franc countries must hand over 65% of their foreign exchange reserves to the French treasury.
Fourth, capital within the West African franc zone can flow freely.
The West African franc originated from the currency designed by France for its African colonies in 1945. After gaining independence, the countries in the West African franc zone have been striving for monetary sovereignty, but France has always had a strong influence on the West African franc, and all major changes in the West African franc have been completed under the leadership of France.
It must be acknowledged that using the CFA franc as a national currency does have its advantages, namely that the CFA franc maintains a fixed parity with the French currency (currently the euro), which greatly improves the stability and credibility of the CFA franc.
Just like the currency devaluation that happens in most underdeveloped countries, it won't happen in the West African Franc zone…