Inside Egypt’s $58 Billion New Capital Project 2026 Progress

45 kilometres east of Cairo, Egypt has built a new capital in the desert. The ministries have moved, parliament has moved, the presidency works from there, and Africa’s tallest building stands in a city that didn’t exist 11 years ago. But what has actually been built, who lives there, and who is really paying for it? In this documentary we go inside Egypt’s New Capital and look at where it stands in 2026: The plan: launched in March 2015, about 700 km² of desert, renamed “The New Capital” in November 2025, with a draft law to rename it Memphis. What’s done: 14 ministries had moved by May 2023. Later that year the presidency announced 100 government agencies and 40,000 employees had moved, and President Sisi was sworn in there on 2 April 2024. The population gap: the city is planned for 6.5 million people, but a little over 30,000 live there, while about 48,000 employees commute in daily. What’s working: the 393.8 m Iconic Tower, the LRT, the East Nile Monorail, Capital International Airport and a planned 1 GW solar plant. The money: why the famous $58 billion figure isn’t a final bill, what phase one cost, who owns the developer, and how land sales pay for it all. Three things to watch: people, the second phase, and private jobs. The towers and the monorail are real. But a capital isn’t just a construction project. It’s a population. What matters most for the New Capital’s future: the homes, the transport or the jobs? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe to Africa Explained as we follow the mega projects shaping the continent. Chapters 0:00 A new capital rising out of the desert 0:37 Why Egypt built it 1:46 What is genuinely done 2:34 Who actually lives there? 4:05 What’s working: skyline, transport, airport, energy 5:36 The money 7:37 Three things to watch 8:11 Is the New Capital working? Footage: Administrative Capital for Urban Development, China State Construction Engineering Corp. (CSCEC), AP, euronews, The Wall Street Journal, CGTN, WION, India Today, ON TV, Arab Contractors, Elsewedy Electric, Nikkei Asia, africanews and independent drone creators. Used for commentary and news reporting. Hashtags: #Egypt, #NewCapital, #AfricaExplained