Egypt’s New $45 Billion Administrative Capital

Summary

The video explores Egypt's ambitious new administrative capital, a 50 km expansion from Cairo, designed to alleviate the overcrowded city's issues. With a projected population boom by 2050, the new capital promises a high-tech, eco-friendly metropolis featuring a 'Green River' and cutting-edge urban planning. However, the project's soaring costs, currently over 45% of Egypt's external debt, raise questions about its financial viability and the government's motives. The video invites viewers to consider the implications of this 58 billion-dollar endeavor and share their thoughts.

Takeaways

• 🚦 Cairo's commercial district is overwhelmed with advertisements promoting a new lifestyle away from the city's core.
• 🏙️ The new Cairo project is being marketed as a new metropolis with a new way of living, community, and global presence.
• 🏗️ Egypt's new administrative capital is being constructed on a desert area east of Cairo, the size of Singapore.
• 📈 Cairo's current condition is dire, with traffic congestion and inability to meet the basic needs of its citizens, exacerbated by embassies and government buildings.
• 🌆 The population in the metropolitan region is expected to quadruple by 2050, leading to further traffic issues.
• 🏛️ The new capital includes a massive presidential palace, 30 ministries, and 30 embassies, aiming to reduce Cairo's congestion.
• 🌿 A 'Green River', twice the size of Central Park, is planned to run through the new capital, featuring natural water and artificial flora.
• 💡 The project is presented as an environmental initiative to reduce pollution and make Egypt greener.
• 💰 The cost of the new capital has escalated to $58 billion, accounting for over 45% of Egypt's external debt by the end of 2021.
• 🏘️ The first phase of development is nearly complete, with the migration of ministries and the allocation of residential lots to new occupants.
• 📊 Egypt's population is growing rapidly, with 95% of the increase in the Nile Valley, posing challenges for housing and employment.

Q & A

What is the main reason for the development of the new Cairo?

The new Cairo is being developed to provide a new way of life for those who can afford it, to ease the congestion in Cairo's core, and to create a new metropolis that can accommodate the city's growing population and needs.

Why is Cairo's current state described as 'bad shape' in the script?

Cairo is in 'bad shape' because it is unable to provide its citizens with many common needs of a city, including traffic congestion, and is struggling with the infrastructure to support its current population, let alone the predicted growth by 2050.

What is the size of the new administrative capital being constructed east of Cairo?

The new administrative capital is being constructed on a desert swad the size of Singapore.

What is the 'Green River' mentioned in the script?

The 'Green River' is a large park that will cut through the center of the new capital, twice the size of Central Park in New York City, and will contain both naturally occurring water and artificially created flora.

What is the Cathedral of the Nativity, and why is it significant?

The Cathedral of the Nativity is the first building in the new city to be accessible to the general public and the largest cathedral in the Middle East. It is significant as it supports the narrative of the dictatorship as the protector of the Christian minority.

What is the estimated cost of the new capital project by the end of fiscal year 2021?

The overall cost of the new capital project has increased to 58 billion dollars by the end of fiscal year 2021.

What percentage of Egypt's total external debt does the new capital project account for by the end of fiscal year 2021?

The new capital project accounts for more than 45 percent of Egypt's total external debt by the end of fiscal year 2021.

What is the current phase of development for the new capital, and what has been spent so far?

The first phase of the development, which includes the construction of structures across 16,800 hectares, is almost finished and has necessitated spending more than 20 billion dollars.

What is the population growth rate of Egypt, and how does it impact the new capital project?

Egypt's population is growing at an astonishingly fast rate, adding 1 million people every six months. This rapid growth impacts the new capital project by increasing the urgency to provide housing and employment for the expanding population.

How does the new capital plan to make the city more resilient and efficient?

The new capital plans to use cutting-edge technology for urban planning, including real-time data gathering, data aggregation, and algorithms to evaluate user behavior, as well as installing solar panels, wind turbines, and electrical regulators to ensure buildings use only the energy they generate.

What is the role of Orange Business Cloud in the new capital?

Orange Business Cloud has been charged with creating a cloud center that will serve as the hub for controlling civil service activities in the new capital.