If the Great Lakes Region and Kenya were counted as part of the east, then the Ethiopian Highlands were the only habitable area left in northern East Africa. Its drawback was obvious: inconvenient transportation and great distance from the coast.
And that was indeed the case. Among the major regions of northern East Africa, ranked from largest to smallest by such figures as economic output and population, were the Ethiopian Highlands, the eastern coast (the Somalia region), the Azande Plateau, the Nile River Basin, and the western coast (Gabon and Cameroon).
Although the terrain of the Ethiopian Highlands was less than ideal, it leaned against the vast market of the Abyssinian Empire, so its economic development was not too poor.
Somalia had a harsh climate, but its per capita income was the highest in the north and its maritime transport conditions were relatively convenient. The Azande Plateau had a comparatively suitable climate and was developing at a steady, unremarkable pace. The Nile River Basin was hot and humid, with numerous swamps and deserts, yet Jezira City at its northernmost end was developing relatively well. Once its petroleum resources were developed, its economic level would surely rise another floor.
As for Gabon and Cameroon, they had simply been incorporated into East African Time too recently. It would be difficult for them to produce results within at least the next decade.
Therefore, if East Africa wanted to drive northern economic development, it could only seek out a strategic fulcrum, and the Great Lakes Region was the best choice. It was much like how the Far East Empire of his previous life, when seeking to develop its western economy, used Xi'an and Chengdu as anchors, since the climatic conditions of the southwestern plateau and northwestern basin were simply too poor.
"Coordinated economic development