Of course, a building like this requires a lot of service staff.
However, most of the service staff will only be responsible for daily maintenance. When Barron comes to live here, he will be accompanied by more than 20 maids and various full-time service staff to take over the place.
Barron's personal assistant Alia is now very proficient in these matters. While he was still touring Jupiter Tower, Alia had already instructed the staff to place the clothes, daily necessities and other items he brought according to Barron's habits, and the entire residential area was neatly organized.
"Barron, I see that Chloe is developing very well. Do you think there are good investment opportunities here?"
Standing on the top observation deck of Jupiter Tower, overlooking this new city, Prince Andrew couldn't help but ask.
"In fact, before this, this place was extremely poor. But fortunately, they discovered oil—although the reserves are nowhere near those of the Middle Eastern giants, for such a small country, it's a blessing from God..."
Barron, holding his wine glass, also looked at a corner of the city bustling with construction in the distance, and said calmly to Andrew,
"And Kolo has a good location, with the best port in West Africa. It will be an emerging market, full of opportunities—after all, Europe is so prosperous, which also means that due to the fierce competition, there are no opportunities for new entrants, unless there is a wave of innovation."
As the saying goes, words can deceive, but money can't.
Barron himself has a lot of investments here, so his words are quite convincing to Prince Andrew.
After all, even as a member of the royal family, Prince Andrew is arguably wealthier than most people, but he still needs to earn an income through his own investments, and he is passionate about it.
Many people tend to equate royal assets with the Queen's own, but there's a difference. For example, the Queen's assets, as shown in rich lists like Forbes, generally represent her personal assets, not the entire royal family.
Over centuries, the royal family has accumulated vast assets, including real estate, jewelry, and stocks. However, these castles and estates also require substantial funds to maintain.
The royal family hopes the government will cover these costs, but the government is naturally reluctant. As early as 1760, King George III began transferring numerous properties to the British government, a tradition that has persisted. After all, the maintenance and restoration of these "antique buildings" has consistently required substantial funding.
In exchange, the British government provides the royal family with a substantial annual "sovereign grant."
However, this grant cannot be used for the personal expenses of the royal family members, but only for the ongoing maintenance of the royal family, including salaries for official residence staff, utilities, information technology, property maintenance, and travel expenses.
While members of the royal family are not permitted to receive compensation for work outside the royal family, they can receive substantial allowances for attending diplomatic and charitable events for the royal family.
Prince Andrew, for example, holds the title of Duke of York. However, unlike his brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, whose income from the estate of Cornwall accrues to him,
Prince Andrew's title is merely a title, without any income from the estate.
Therefore, if he wants to be financially comfortable, he needs to invest.
His investments range from perfume to football clubs, and he also hosts social events that bring investors and entrepreneurs together to discuss business ideas.
In a previous life, Prince Andrew settled allegations against him for $12 million—reportedly part of which was funded by the Queen.
Since then, Andrew's financial situation has deteriorated significantly. His villa fell into disrepair due to financial constraints, and he was nearly evicted by His Royal Highness, who was now King.
This suggests that his assets are not substantial. Even if Prince Andrew's reputation wasn't good in the future, he was still a member of the royal family and possessed his own value.
Therefore, if he could invest in Koro, he would undoubtedly protect it for his own benefit, something Barron welcomed.
After seeing Prince Andrew off, Barron summoned West Africa Group CEO Henrique Duran and the management of its subsidiaries to a conference room in Jupiter House to hear their reports on the group's current developments.
West Africa Group is the entity Barron uses through West Africa Holdings to invest in Koro and throughout the West African region.
It's arguably Koro's largest enterprise, with tentacles reaching into every aspect of Koro's economy.
For example, in the financial sector, West Africa Group owns the United Bank of West Africa and the Britta Stock Exchange.
The United Bank of West Africa even has the right to issue Koro's legal tender, the Koro shilling, and the right to advise on exchange rate and financial policies.
Currently, the United Bank of West Africa (UBA) has branches not only throughout Kolo, but also in countries including Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso.
Because Kolo boasts Loti, West Africa's largest port, its transit trade has flourished. This is especially true for landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, which border Kolo. Almost all of their imported goods must transit through Kolo before arriving in their own country.
Even countries like Ghana and Benin, which share Kolo's coastline, require a significant portion of their goods to transit through Kolo.
Consequently, the Kolo government has signed trade agreements with these countries, including tariff reciprocity and financial cooperation.
It was from that time that the United Bank of West Africa began expanding its business outside Kolo.
It's also worth noting that the West African Business Management Company, a subsidiary of the West African Group, has established a West African small commodity wholesale market in Cevizi, less than 50 kilometers from the port of Loti. Through Alibaba, they import a large number of high-quality and affordable goods from Yiwu, China, for sale there.
The West African Small Commodities Wholesale Market has become one of the most renowned comprehensive wholesale markets in West Africa. Even merchants from neighboring countries come directly to Czevitz to purchase goods.
Following the success of the Czevitz wholesale market, the West African Business Management Company plans to establish a second small commodity wholesale market in Dassau.
Dassau is located at the northern end of Koló, on the northernmost section of the Roda Expressway and Roda Railway, Koló's major transportation arteries. The establishment of a small commodity wholesale market there will promote the development of the northern region of Koló and facilitate the market's expansion into landlocked West African countries, including Burkina Faso.
With the development of this trade, the Kolo shilling has gradually begun to flow out of the country.
On the one hand, it is more convenient to "purchase goods" in Kolo, but on the other hand...
After all, it is well known that many African countries, due to various reasons such as economic instability and chaotic financial conditions, have experienced widespread and significant currency devaluation, resulting in a corresponding devaluation of the average person's currency.
Since its launch, the Kolo shilling's exchange rate has remained relatively stable.