Cairo has over the years grown to be the epitome of centralization in Egypt, with all the governmental processes taking place in one of few building across the capital city. Not only so, but it has also grown as the place where all opportunities are born, making it the dream destination of many Egyptian youth across the country.
The idea of another capital city is not new to Egypt, but was never seen through till the end. During Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) which took place from March 13 to 15 March, the new capital city, dubbed The Capital Cairo, was announced.
“We are talking about a world capital,” Housing Minister Mustafa Kamel Madbouli said during the conference.
"The idea to build the new city originated from our awareness that Cairo's current population,18 million, will double in the next 40 years."
The Capital Cairo is a collaborative project between the Egyptian Ministry of Housing and Capital City Partners Ltd., a private fund of global investors co-founded by Mohamed Alabbar. Dubai businessman Alabbar is known for his work building Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
"It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to design something from scratch, and to design it keeping in mind the needs of the Egyptian people and the Egyptian government," Alabbar told the BBC.
Capital Cairo, which spans 700 square kilometers, is planned to be situated east of the current capital city, Cairo, along the corridor between Cairo and the Red Sea. This planning will allow easy access to the city as well as linkages to vital shipping routes.
The $45 billion project is to house up to 5 million people of various socioeconomic statuses across 1.1 million housing units once it is complete. It will also utilize its desert location through 91 square kilometers of solar energy farms, in addition to focusing on all technologies ecofriendly and sustainable.
According to the project’s website, the new development will host include almost 2,000 schools and colleges and more than 600 health care facilities, as well as create more than a million jobs.
Among the cities major plans is a new government administrative district where the government, embassies and business headquarters will be relocated.
"The aim is to put Egypt back on the map of international investment, and send a message to the world that the country is safe and attractive," said International Cooperation Minister Naglaa Al Ahwani at the event.
In this video that went viral on the social network, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi claims that the project should be finished in less than 7 years in response to Dubai leader Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al-Maktoum’s estimation for the project to take 10 years.
Being one of many people who have for long wished for a more decentralized Egypt, I am optimistic about this project. But I have also lived in Egypt long enough not to get too excited about projects until they are well past half way through. Yet, truth be told, several infrastructure projects have been finished in Cairo over the past few months, which gives hope to a lot of people that maybe this time, a new capital will be seen through. Everyone who has ever dealt with Cairo's traffic definitely hopes so as well.