Constructing the new capital of Egypt

The construction of the new capital of Egypt when complete is intended to accommodate a population of 5 million and be the financial as well as administrative capital of the country.

The new capital city is a construction project first mooted by the Egyptian housing minister Mostafa Madbouly in March 2015. It was supposed to be the answer to Cairo’s chronic congestion and would be located about 46 kilometers from the present capital city on the way to the port City of Suez and covering an area of 700 square kilometres. The project is intended to offer thousands of jobs and stimulate the economy.

MOU for Egypt’s new capital city

A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2015 between UAE based Capital City Planners and the government of Egypt to undertake the project that would give rise to a modern, new city in Egypt to replace the old. The announcement was received with excitement but  scepticism still remained and would be validated only a few months later when the MOU was withdrawn by the government siting lack of progress on the part of Capital City Planners.

A new MOU later the same year was then signed with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) with the main focus being centred around putting up buildings that would house government ministries and agencies as well as the president’s office. The Chinese were to build a new parliament complex, 12 ministerial buildings, a convention center and an exhibition area at what is believed woud be a whooping US$45bn.

This would undoubtedly form the nucleus from which the rest of the city would grow as demand for other amenities such as housing and shopping would stem. This aspect is targeted to be completed some time around 2020 to 2022.

Roads and sewerage

Road construction is being undertaken by the Egyptian military while provision of water and sewerage facilities are being undertaken by an Egyptian construction company to pave the way for the commencement of the first phase of the project.

The new MOU with CSCEC however seems not to have held because early 2017 the Chinese pulled out with the housing ministry siting disagreement over price. The government now seems to be opting to proceed with the construction of the first phase with local contractors whom it claims have offered lower prices. Arab Contractors are currently putting up 78 residential buildings

Though CSCEC seems to have packed its bags and gone it is believed that China Fortune Land Development Company (CFLD) will still be proceeding with phase 2 which will involve putting up shopping malls, universities, hospitals and factories in a 14,000 acre site.

An ambitious project

The construction of Egypt’s new capital is an ambitious project by any standards when you consider that it will boast  a park double the size of Central Park in New York City. It will be adorned by artificial lakes while students will enjoy an array of facilities to be found in about 2,000 educational institutions. The endless list includes a technology and innovation park and as far as health is concerned there will be 663 hospitals and clinics. The city will also have 1,250 mosques and 40,000 hotel rooms. Watch out Disneyland because a major theme park is on the cards as well that will be four times bigger. The New capital will be a smart city and to go along with this will be 90 square kilometers of solar energy farms, an electric railway link with Cairo, and a new international airport.

The project is being developed by the New Administrative Capital Company, which is jointly owned by the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities and the military