Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly followed up on the latest developments in the establishment of telecommunication networks and digital transformation plans at the New Administrative capital.
According to a statement by the cabinet on Sunday, Madbouly was briefed by telecommunications minister Amr Talaat on projects underway in the new capital, which includes digitising and preserving government databases and developing human capabilities in the digital domain.
He was also presented with the latest efforts regarding a project to establish infrastructure for the telecommunication networks in the new capital.
Madbouly stressed the importance of finalising all under-construction projects in the New Administrative Capital on time, while taking all preventive measures against the coronavirus.
Last year, Egypt said it would build an EGP 40 billion ($2.53 billion) telecommunications network in the first phase of the new capital, located east of Cairo, the cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday.
State-owned telecom operator Telecom Egypt signed a deal with the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), the company building the mega city, to build the network.
Construction on the new city, located approximately 45km east of Cairo, began in 2015 as part of the government's plan to reduce pressure on the existing overpopulated capital, expand urban areas and develop the nation’s infrastructure.
It is being built over 714 square kilometres by tens of thousands of workers, and will be home to a government housing district, 29 ministries and other state institutions – including the cabinet and parliament buildings – and 20 residential neighbourhoods that can accommodate 6.5 million people.
The government was planning to relocate ministries to the new capital by mid-2020; however, the move was delayed to 2021 over the coronavirus outbreak.