Assistant Minister of Housing Abdel Khalek Ibrahim said Egypt's national strategic plan divides the country into 15 economic regions, with the Northwestern Coast and East Egypt identified as major future growth hubs. He highlighted the strategic importance of the New Capital and New Alamein City, along with flagship projects such as the Central Business District and the Green River. Ibrahim noted that the establishment of new and fourth-generation cities has significantly improved population distribution, with East Cairo's absorption capacity rising by 220% and West Cairo's by 180%. Speaking on the sidelines of the Arab Architects Awards Festival 2025, he said the state has invested EGP 100bn to upgrade informal settlements and has eased the burden on citizens by covering 40% of housing unit costs. He added that an additional EGP 90bn has been allocated for the redevelopment of Historic Cairo. He also reported growing tourism investment demand around the Giza Pyramids area following the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, and identified the Northwestern Coast as one of Egypt's most promising regions for agriculture, industry and tourism. Egypt, represented by the Engineers Syndicate and the Architecture Division, hosted the Arab Architects Awards Festival 2025 from 24 to 26 November, concluding with an awards ceremony on Wednesday evening. Joseph Hourani, President of the Arab Architects Association, announced the winning projects across multiple categories. Silent Walls from Jordan won first place in the Private Residential Projects category, followed by Terraces House from Lebanon in second place and Lebanon's Sea House in third. In the Large-Scale Residential Projects category, Egypt's Tell Al-Aqarib took first place, Tunisia's Hills ranked second and Lebanon's The Twelve Residences in Riyadh placed third. In the Public Buildings category, The Lebanese Academy claimed first place, while Egypt's Handicrafts Center took second and Morocco's Multimedia Library came third. Morocco's La Marine Hotel won first place in the Tourism and Entertainment Projects category, followed by Egypt's Hotel and Educational Training Center in second and Helwan Kobrityage in third. Egypt also secured first place in the Work and Commercial Centers category with the Qanawat Company Headquarters project. Iraq ranked second with the Embassy of Indonesia in Abu Dhabi project, while Lebanon's Obeid Center came third. In the Rehabilitation Projects category, Lebanon's Beirut Heritage Initiative won first place, followed by Egypt's Al-Nawawi Mosque Complex in second and Egypt's Maghagha Post Center in third. Overall, Egypt topped the festival rankings with seven awards, followed by Lebanon with six, Morocco with two, while Jordan, Tunisia and Iraq each secured one award. The festival also honoured the distinguished jury of leading Arab architects, academics and experts.
