Egypt moves to new capital December

The Egyptian government will start moving to the country’s new capital, east of Cairo, in December, an official in Al-Sissi’s presidency said.

The new administrative capital, launched in 2015, is the flagship construction scheme in a string of mega-projects undertaken by Egyptian President, Abdel-Fatah Al-Sissi.

Earlier this year, Al-Sissi, who took office in 2014, said the inauguration of the capital would mark the birth of a new republic in Egypt.

Al-Sissi had instructed the government to start moving its offices to a government district in the new capital as from December, presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi said in an online statement.

“This will mark (government) work on a trial basis for six months,’’ the official added.

Located 45 kilometres east of Cairo, the new capital spans 170,000 acres.

It also plans to house the parliament, a business hub, an airport, a large public park, and Africa’s highest tower among other facilities.

When completed, the yet-unnamed capital will accommodate an estimate of 6.5 million people to ease pressure on age-old, populous Cairo, according to government officials.