China's construction firm CSCEC has started the construction of an iconic tower, which will be Africa's tallest building, in Egypt's new capital, said Egyptian housing minister on Saturday. China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) is building the 11th floor out of 80 in the tower, which will be a 358-metre tall and located at the new capital's Central Business District (CBD), Assem al-Gazzar added. Spanning over 240,000 square metres, the tower is one of several Dubai-style mega projects being built in the new capital. In March 2018, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly laid the foundation stone of a massive Central Business District (CBD) in the new capital's first phase. The new district, which is also being carried out by CSCEC, will include 20 giant buildings and will be completed at the end of 2020, with investment cost of $3.2 billion. Located 45km (28 miles) east of Cairo, the anticipated new capital is part of the Egyptian government's plan to expand urban areas to deal with the state's rapid population growth and improve the nation's infrastructure. The new city is set to be a 270-square-mile hub with 21 residential districts to accommodate five million people. It will feature 1,250 mosques and churches as well as 5,000-seat conference centre, nearly 2,000 schools and colleges, over 600 medical facilities, and a park that is projected to be the world's largest. A Chinese construction labourer works at the future Iconic Tower skyscraper, at its foundations in the business district in the New Capital (NAC)(Photo: Reuters)
