Her call for the JEP to urgently open the case goes hand-in-hand with the forgiveness she has given to her aggressors. [11][19][20][21], It is being built as a smart city with over 6,000 cameras monitoring the streets and along with this authorities will be using AI to monitor water use and waste management, and residents will be able to submit complaints into a mobile app. A fruit and vegetable market in Cairo last month. Egypt Grand Mosque (Masjid Misr Al Kabeer) is the largest mosque in Africa. Jennifers life was redirected towards seeking truth and justice for women who were victims of sexual abuse within armed groups. site and, once completed, will house 6.5 million people. Behind the jargon recited like a new high-tech catechism lies a new approach to urban planning, almost a philosophy, based on data. used for heat and transport, would end up reducing total costs, including energy, environmental and health-related costs by USD 9 billion per year on average compared to current energy plans. CAIRO, March 17 (Reuters) - Egypt is racing to prepare a grandiose new capital city in the desert east of Cairo before the first civil servants move in this summer and ahead of the delayed . Toggle Central business district subsection, Egypt Grand Mosque (Masjid Misr Al Kabeer), Skyscrapers and towers under construction, Learn how and when to remove this template message, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, "Egypt's new desert capital faces delays as it battles for funds", "Egypt Announces Plans to Build New Capital", "Egypt plans new capital adjacent to Cairo", "The New Administrative Capital launches a competition to choose a new name and logo", " ", "Escape from Cairo: Why is el-Sisi building a new capital in the Egyptian desert? [45][46], The Capital International Airport is the airport for Egypt's new capital, intended to relieve pressure on Cairo International Airport, serving Cairo, and the Sphinx International Airport, near the Giza Pyramids, serving Giza. Between 2015 and 2019, Egypt became the world's third largest arms importer, placing at least 54 weapons orders, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says. Construction of the Iconic Tower officially began in May 2018. [91], The New Administrative Capital will be served by the new Capital International Airport. However, critics question the viability of these megaprojects at a time when the country is struggling to pay off its debts. A charming but unlivable city of 23 million people, Cairo has developed in an anarchic manner from its center, with 48% of its surface area occupied by informal housing. [40] The company stated that the studies needed were done in August[when?] Most of Egypt's population, which now. This is reckless," Timothy Kaldas, a policy fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, told DW, adding that "the extraordinary spending on megaprojects has contributed to Egypts debt crisis.". Moreover, the government committed to allocate 15 square metres of green space per inhabitant in the new development. I was so young, yet my life was already unlivable. [3] It was announced by the then Egyptian housing minister Mostafa Madbouly at the Egypt Economic Development Conference on 13 March 2015. The new capital will have a central green river, a combination of open water and planted greenery twice the size of New Yorks Central Park. This makes it particularly attractive, and cheap, for foreign investorslike the Gulf states. Cairo isn't the problem.Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO In 2017, Egypt's government announced it wo. August 17, 2022, 3:56 PM On Sunday, a horrific fire at a Coptic church in greater Cairo's Imbaba neighborhood killed 41 people, including 18 children. The Green River Park (also known as Capital Park) is an urban park planned to extend along the entirety of the new capital, representing the Nile river. Iconic Tower (Egypt) - Wikipedia Save up to $15 with TurboTax coupon May 2023, Epic Bundle - 3x Expert Stock Recommendations, 15% OFF DIY Online Tax Filing Services | H&R Block Coupon, 10% TopResume discount code for expert resume-writing services, 25% OFF Groupon Promo Code - Valid Sitewide on Enter Order. Orange Business Cloud has been awarded the contract to build a Cloud Center, from which operations for civilian services will be controlled. It would be wrong to believe that the army does everything, but it decides who it subcontracts to," historian Tewfik Aclimandos says. One can only assume from the brand new highway named after Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed that the United Arab Emirates is a major donor. Payments due include $2.49 billion in short-term debt in June, while in the second half of 2023 they include $3.86 billion in short-term borrowing and $11.38 billion in longer-term debt, central bank data showed last week. He insisted that they were necessary to attract foreign investment and that they would help to rebuild the country's decaying infrastructure. Egypt's "New Administrative Capital" is being built over a 714 square kilometer (276 sq. She was previously based in Beirut, Lebanon, and in New York, where she wrote about New York City, New York politics and immigration. It is the Chinese who brought to life the 80 floors of the Iconic Tower. It is the grandest in a slew of megaprojects spearheaded by the president. These transferred workers will receive training on various technological methods. It is planned to be Egypt's new capital and has been under construction since 2015. The first stage will cost LE30 billion, excluding infrastructure. One will be for the parliament, one for the cabinet and 34 for different ministries. While the government has promised that the new cities will deliver millions of jobs and urgently needed housing, economists say that a majority of jobs created so far are low-paid construction gigs. Check if your university or organisation offers FT membership to read for free. Now, economists warn, Egypt is one of a handful of countries that run a significant risk of debt default, and even Mr. el-Sisis boosters are fretting about the economic pain ahead. But that does not mean his ailing economy can support them. As interest rates and food prices soared this summer, public finances became so strained that the government ordered malls, stadiums and other public facilities to ration their air-conditioning and dim the lights so it could sell more energy abroad. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the new project will help el-Sisi control any future revolt against his regime and consolidate his power. Its a very rapid increase, with one million more people every six months, according to figures relayed by the French Treasury in 2021. Egypt's New Administrative Capital inching closer to reality I reported it, but the only response I received was that it was something we former guerillas deserved.". Egypt is consistently rated as a country where transparency in public finance and accounting is problematic, according to the analyst network International Budget Partnership. There is no condition to my personal forgiveness, but I want it to be accompanied by recognition, justice and truth, she added. And 60 countries have sent requests for land, including Brazil, Argentina, India, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Gabon, Chine, Kuwait, and Kazakhstan. It is impossible to think of the new city without thinking of el-Sisi. Later phases of the 1,750km (1,087mi) high speed network will connect the new capital with cities as far as Aswan in the south of Egypt. Construction of the new capital began five years ago at an initial cost of at least $60 billion. In 2020, the third most populous country in Africa passed the symbolic threshold of 100 million inhabitants. But there are fears that the project will not only help the countrys backbone industries and struggling businesses to get back on their feet, but also allow the military to spread its tentacles further across the Egyptian economy. In general, financing is an informational black hole. For the Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia, who have supported Egypt's economy in the past 10 years with around $100 billion (93 billion) of unconditional loansbut have also indicated that they are expecting to see some reforms, the announcement is particularly attractive. Expanding to the desert was the only possible strategy to deal with all these issues of urban living. Why Egypt Is Building a New Capital City - YouTube The competition for Egypt: China, the West, and megaprojects Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Administered by data and subject to military governance in a context of widespread surveillance, the future capital will also be, if it really comes out of the ground, the flashy symbol of the authoritarian restoration in Egypt. The housing units there are being sold at very hefty prices. A macro-case would be a sign of respect, a demonstration that our experiences matter and that the war treated us like garbage. Back in 2011, it was clear to all of us in Egypt that Mubarak lost power the moment he lost control of the strategic Tahrir Square. Unless Mr. el-Sisi introduces bigger changes, like loosening the militarys economic grip and jump-starting private industry, they say that the benefits of the new projects will be short-lived. It will help the private sector to make money and strengthen its relations with and loyalty to the government. But computer renderings envision verdant boulevards, humming tram lines and the extensive use of digital technology: Some 6,000 cameras will monitor the streets of the new city; the authorities will use artificial intelligence to optimize water use and waste management; and residents will submit complaints using a mobile app. Of that total, 61.8% were women, and another 30.8% were young girls and teenagers. "The problem was that most of these projects are in noncommercial sectors such as construction," Amr Adly, from the American University in Cairoand author of the book "Cleft Capitalism: The Social Origins of Failed Market Making in Egypt," told DW. And in the absence of opinion polls, the new capital seems to have the support of the population, with everyone agreeing that Cairo needs to be relieved of its congestion. Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter. Destiny took her to Bogot, where a familial defender in Puente Aranda decreed that Jennifer would be protected by the El Buen Pastor prison until she reached adulthood. .css-16c7pto-SnippetSignInLink{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;}Sign In, Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But as the country limps through a dire economic crisis, there are doubts about whether it can afford his grandiose dreams. On 700 square kilometres (270sqmi) total area, it would have a population of 6.5 million people, though it is estimated that the figure could rise to seven million. A two-bedroom apartment in the new capital goes for about $50,000 a huge sum that is out of the reach of many in a country where the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is about $3,000. Some years passed and I grew tired of watching my comrades be killed in battle, but I grew even more tired of the life the commander had forced me into living," Jennifer says. There is also a training stage for the World Cup in Shooting in the administrative capital.[13][14][15]. I went to the patio to pick up a hose and that is where four guerilla members attacked and raped me. The financial cost and the effort that we make is immense, Sisi said during the inauguration of the hydro-cracking complex in Mostorod, Qalyubiya. Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. A new capital in the Egyptian desert: Sisi's military model for the Thirsty new cities threaten to suck precious water from the already-depleted Nile, the countrys chief water source. He did so almost every night for about two years. My second life ended when I transitioned into a woman, and the third is happening right now, as I seek justice.. It already has a governor, a general retired from active service obviously appointed by the presidency. The ministries area of Egypts new capital last month. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. The ACUD, in which the military has the majority stake, is in charge of selling housing units in the new capital. It was the latest in a string of disasters. It's part of an energetic construction boom that has seen Egypt build a dozen new cities, thousands of kilometres of new roads, mega housing projects and turning desert into farmland. Egypt's new capital city moved a step closer to reality with the announcement that Chinese developers will largely fund the megaproject. The first residential lots will be delivered in the coming months, the German International University has been welcoming students since last year, and the transfer of a few dozen ministries has already begun. I lost my mother shortly afterwards due to her grief over the loss of my father and brothers. Investors have long pushed for a more flexible currency. A jury of specialists was formed to evaluate the proposals submitted to list and determine the best among all the proposals. More than 200,000 workers take turns on the construction sites. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo, China's on the move again, economic outlook brightens, Japan's biggest banks to raise housing loan rates after BOJ's policy tweak, Japan's tourism restart stirs hope of service-sector recovery -PMI, South Korea's Sept inflation slows but tightening bias seen intact, West Africa's ECOWAS rejects Niger junta's proposed three-year delay for elections, Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption, Biden heading to Maui to meet with wildfire survivors, Greece to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots, Zelenskiy says, Pope Francis discusses Ukraine war and peace with US military chief. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact When the worksite was launched six years ago, the total cost of the project was estimated at $58 billion, or more than 45% of Egypt's external debt of $138 billion, according to the latest figures from the Central Bank in June 2021, the end of the budget year. Reasssured by IMF deals in 2016 and 2020, multilateral lenders, foreign governments and institutional investors jumped on board. Egypts finances, overall, were fragile even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time. "Egypt's large external debt maturity profile is becoming increasingly challenging," Moody's said. With a third of Egyptians living below the poverty line and 800,000 young people entering the job market each year, it is not only necessary to find where to house them but also to create jobs for them. So it is easy to believe the New Administrative Capital, which is expected to house embassies, government agencies, the parliament, 30 ministries, a spiralling presidential compound and some 6.5 million people when completed, is a necessity. Just a few months later, Morsis opponents filled the same square to first call for and then celebrate his removal from power. But if you look beneath the surface, and most importantly, follow the money, you will clearly see this project is much more than an altruistic effort by the government to decongest Cairo and improve the living conditions of the citys inhabitants. Constructions account for 14% of Egypt's GDP, which is the biggest . One runs northward, parallel to the Cairo Ring Road, to 10th of Ramadan City, while the other turns south towards the New Administrative Capital. [8], The new city is to be located 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Cairo and just outside the Second Greater Cairo Ring Road, in a largely undeveloped area halfway to the seaport city of Suez. Unfortunately, underreporting plays a significant role in these numbers. PLAN Old Capital City VS Smart New Administrative Capital City The major reason for the new capital city is to relieve congestion in Cairo, which is already one of the world's most crowded cities, and it is growing rapidly. Since the end of December, employees have been walking by entire areas that are still in the structural stage to reach their offices, where the paint has not yet finished drying. The fact remains that with an unclear schedule that feeds rumors of delays and prices that are not in line with the reality of the purchasing power of Egyptians, the risk of a ghost city with empty buildings is real. against the peril of the Muslim Brotherhood, challenges that President Sisis regime must face, a concept that came into popularity about 10 years ago, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's 2021 report, the subprime crisis in the United States in 2008, Urban Diversity: Cities Of Differences Create Different Cities , In Cairo, Makeshift Slums v. Government Housing Project , Facing Climate Emergency, Africa Must Reinvent Its Cities , Ukraine Counterattacks, 300 Feared Dead In Mariupol Theater, Tree Of The Year , Its Time To Start Building A Post-NATO World - Worldcrunch , Why Hundreds Of Completely New Cities Are Being Built Around The , A new New Cairo: Egypt plans 30bn purpose-built capital in desert , Why is Egypt building a new capital? The ambitions of the new capital are disproportionate to the political reality but in line with the imagination that carries the country of the pharaohs and pyramids. All this brings to mind the regime of Hosni Mubarak and its fall. Over 20 years ago, she was raped by a guerilla member with Front 43 of the FARC in Puerto Lleras. The new capital will also give el-Sisi much-needed legitimacy. And more importantly, it will be miles away from Tahrir Square and any other public arena where Egyptians can come together to voice their grievances with those ruling over them. ", For his part, Tewfik Aclimandos considers that the ras (Egyptian for leader) "relies on the legitimacy of achievements to compensate for the discontent caused by the shock of structural reforms.. From creaking Cairo, Egypt plans high-tech leap with new capital Egypt faces acute water shortage, but it's still building a giant - CNN At this stage, no one knows if this screening of visitors is supposed to last after the construction is finished or if it is temporary. The projects, mostly constructed by the countrys powerful military, make Mr. el-Sisi the latest in a long line of Egyptian leaders, stretching back centuries, who have sought to mirror their authority in imposing structures that rise from the desert. The guerilla group wanted to take over the house, so they made the Henao family live through a waking nightmare. Because of that pain, my father suffered a fatal heart attack.. With this Dantesque city, he is writing his national narrative and deploying the machinery of a dictatorship that he intends to install in the long term. [9][10], Officially, a major reason for the undertaking of the project was to relieve congestion in Cairo, which is already one of the world's most crowded cities, with the population of Greater Cairo expected to double in the next few decades. I left Medelln for Bogota but still found no opportunities, so I was homeless for over two years, said Diana. The New Administrative Capital is expected to cost about $40bn. More about Vivian Yee, A version of this article appears in print on. In short, the New Administrative Capital will help the military and the government consolidate their power. As before, Egypt may be saved from disaster by its allies. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. The remaining 49% of ACUD is controlled by Egypt's ministry of . Construction site of the Central Business District (CBD) in 2020. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to per month. Egypt is the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Africa, but it has fallen from $9 billion in 2019 to $5.9 billion in 2020, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's 2021 report. It's about achieving environmental resilience, based on the habits of users, whose data is collected, aggregated and put through the mill of algorithms in real time. CAIRO, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The Egyptian government will start the process in December of moving offices to a new administrative capital located east of Cairo, a spokesman for the presidency. New Administrative Capital - Wikipedia Egypt's borrowing spree took off around a March 2015 economic conference, less than a year after general-turned-politican Abdel Fattah al-Sisi became president, when a series of megaprojects including a new capital city and three power plants were announced. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. At the age of 12, Jennifer joined the FARC guerilla group, and lived in the mountains of Valle del Cauca. Before that, I attended hearings where individuals from the Centauros denied or claimed not to remember what they had done to me. The hard currency squeeze has raised concerns about Egypt's ability to repay foreign debt. [89], In addition, a monorail line under construction will connect Giza to the new capital passing through Cairo. The Cairo Monorail ( Arabic: ) is a two-line monorail rapid transit system currently under construction in Cairo, Egypt, which will be the longest driverless monorail system in the world. The state has downplayed my claims, never provided me with proper care and normalized what Ive been through," Ludirlena said. So what if I have palaces? Mr. el-Sisi said weeks later, after thousands had been jailed because of the protests. [27], It is planned to cost over US$100 million to move the government from Cairo to NAC but a full cost and timeline for the overall project has not yet been revealed. The repayment schedule is similarly onerous in subsequent years. The Egyptian currency, the Egyptian pound, has lost half of its value against the US dollar in the past 11 months, and according to Egypt's Central Bank, inflation rose to 26.5% in January. They are three voices among many that have come together to demand the opening of a "macro-case," or investigation into sexual violence through Colombias Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), which would uncover the patterns of sexual and gender-based crimes among armed groups which have devastated entire communities.