Cairo is going through a lot of neglect and decay, thanks to the ‘Flight of the Rich’ as a lot of the rich have moved to gated communities in the suburbs while the new capital is being built. Cairo has a lot of crappily built houses, dirt roads which are flooded with sewage water, and almost every neighborhood is over crowded. But the new capital has been advertising ‘Dream Homes’ which draw a lot of appeal to Egyptians to make the move out of Cairo.
The new capital hasn’t been given a proper name yet, but it is a $45 billion project which president Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has come of with, his biggest decision since he has taken office back in 2014. Building this new capital does seem like a step in the right direction for Egypt, as they are promising new roads and housing which will come with a lot of new jobs, and also the expansion of the suez canal.
Many citizens in Egypt do not like where their country is going because of this new project, “If Egyptians don’t see it as an improvement in their living conditions and services, he will be remembered as the president who destroyed the middle class.” This was said by political analyst Hassan Nafaa, a lot of Egypt thinks that the president has the country’s priorities out of order, seeing that they are running out of their natural resources.
Despite all the skyscrapers, sports complexes, and government buildings that will be in the new capital, the cheapest and smallest apartment in the capital will cost 1.3 Egyptians pounds which is equivalent to $73,000 USD. This is how the middle class will be ceased out of the capital, as that price is to much for a mid-level bureaucrat. I think Egypt should get it’s priorities straight, as I believe a country who took a loan from the monetary fund should not be building a $45 billion city, instead they should focus on their resources and taking economic steps forward.