Egypt is building a £45 billion new city to house its government and legal institutions complete with the tallest tower in Africa.
The ancient nation is constructing the New Administrative Capital (NAC) around 30 miles from the hustle and bustle of Cairo, which is one of the most congested cities on the planet.
In an area the size of 270 square miles, around half the footprint of London, the Egyptians and Chinese developers are raising the enormous project straight out of the desert.
The eye-catching centre piece of the NAC is the 1,300-foot-tall Iconic Tower that is now the tallest skyscraper in Africa, beating rivals in Morocco and South Africa.
Alongside the Iconic Tower, a nest of 10 other lofty towers can be seen from miles around, which are themselves some of the highest man-made structures in the world.
As well as buildings for governance, the site will also boast five luxury residential towers and four large hotels.
The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) had been brought in to oversee the creation of the development which is due to be finished by 2030.
A host of satellite residential areas, parks and mosques will also be built for a population that could number around six million people.
Chang Weicai, general manager of CSCEC Egypt, told the Global Times that the projecct was a model of economic and technological cooperation between two countries.
The news site reported that the Chinese company has cultivated a large number of professional and technical talents for Egypt by not only “giving people fish” but also “teaching people to fish.”
The New York Times estimates the entire city will cost the Egyptian Government upwards of £45 billion and there has been some criticised the project will only cater for Egypt’s richest.
Maged Mandour, an Egyptian political analyst, told the publication President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was “borrowing money from abroad to build a massive city for the rich” and that the poor and middle class of Egypt were paying the price in higher taxes.
The first residents of the new capital began to move into the city in January this year with 1,200 families now occupying some of the 100,000 housing units that have been finished.
