Al-Sisi lays first stone for New Administrative Capital

The urban development projects aim to prevent random housing and provide adequate housing for citizens, says the president

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi laid the first stone of the New Administrative Capital project in East Cairo, with an area of 170,000 feddans, of which the first phase accounts for 40,000 feddans.
Al-Sisi said in his speech during the launching ceremony that the New Administrative Capital comes in the framework of the state comprehensive development plan, stressing that the government works on several national projects simultaneously.
He added that the planning model of the New Administrative Capital is similar to other new cities implemented by the government in Upper Egypt and coastal areas. The urban development projects aim to prevent random housing and provide adequate housing for all citizens, said the president.
Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly said the New Administrative Capital project represents a boom in the construction sector, especially that the 2052 urban development plan aims to increase the urban area in Egypt from 7% to 14%. He added that there are 230 cities in Egypt, including 20 new cities built by the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) inhabited by 7 million people equivalent to 7% of the urban population.
The New Administrative Capital is located in the area between the Cairo-Suez and Cairo-Ain Sokhna roads just east of the regional ring road. This is roughly 60 km from the cities of Suez and Ain Sokhna.
According to the minister, Cairo's total area is estimated at 95,000 feddans, while the Administrative Capital will be built on an area of 170,000 feddans, including 20 residential areas expected to accommodate 6.5 million people and a roads network of 650 km length. The capital will have an international airport and electric train to link it with the 10th of Ramadan and El-Salam cities.
Chairperson of the New Administrative Capital for Urban Development Ahmad Zaki Abdeen said that the company received requests from several investors to purchase land in the new capital for the establishment of residential and commercial projects.
The first round of investment land in the administrative capital achieved sales of EGP 10bn, distributed over seven plots on an area of 950 feddans.
Talaat Moustafa Group won a piece of 500 feddans and Egypt-Italy on a piece of 200 feddans, besides five companies got five plots with an area of 50 feddans for the plot.
Abdeen explained that the company has finished planning residential neighborhood R7 and R8 with a total area of 5,000 feddans and will begin implementation during the coming period in cooperation with investors.
He said that the company met with representatives of the banks operating in Egypt to study their requests for land within the area of banks and the establishment of new branches.
He added that the area of the embassies is 1,484 feddans, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating to allocate land for them.
He said that a potable water desalination plant would be implemented in Ain Sokhna to represent the main source of water in the capital with a capacity of 650,000 cubic metres per day. It also needs about 6,000 MW of electric power, and part of it will be provided through the administrative capital station, Mega.