Cairo, Egypt’s capital for more than 1,000 years, is set to be replaced by a new capital. Work on Egypt’s new administrative hub, a mega project 45 kilometres east of Cairo with an initial estimated cost of $45 billion, pressed on last year during the spread of COVID-19. The government expects to complete some residential districts by the end of this year and the business district in early 2022. Egypt was projected to be one of very few countries in the Middle East to report economic growth in 2020, according to an October report by the International Monetary Fund.
Egypt’s mega capital
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Egypt’s new capital will cover 714 square kilometres and include the country’s parliament, government ministries, an airport, a business district, a park larger than New York City’s Central Park, and Iconic Tower, which will be the tallest tower in Africa at 385 metres (1,263 feet) when completed.