Egypt is building a new capital city approximately 45km to the east of the current capital Cairo. Egypt’s New Administrative Capital has already taken shape and played host to several glitzy events.
The first phase of construction work has been underway for the past five years, with $20bn of investments pumped into an area spanning 16,800ha. When all three phases are complete, the fully-developed new capital should be able to accommodate up to 6.5 million people on 70,000ha.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation won a deal in 2017 to build 20 big towers in the New Administrative Capital and they are due to be completed by next year. The building boom is also a boost for Orascom Construction, a local company that signed $1bn in projects in the last quarter of 2020, with almost two-thirds of them in Egypt.
As envisioned in the Egypt Vision 2030 policy document, these projects are hailed by the government as ‘fourth-generation cities’, which are meant to alleviate congestion in existing urban areas. Their infrastructure is more advanced and eco-friendly, and their green spaces are considerably larger than those in the old districts.
The New Administrative Capital, which is expected to house embassies, government agencies, the parliament, 30 ministries, a presidential compound and some 6.5 million people when completed, is a necessity. It will not only move administrative buildings out of Cairo, but also create much-needed housing.
The new capital will have a central “green river”, a combination of open water and planted greenery twice the size of New York’s Central Park.
The city also hosts Africa’s tallest tower; the Iconic Tower. It was planned and inspired by the shape of a pharaonic obelisk with glass exterior. The tower is expected to be completed on 13 January 2022. Upon completion, it will be 80 stories tall, overtaking The Leonardo in South Africa