Egypt’s construction projects market becomes largest in Africa, third in MENA – OBG

27 / 04 / 2022

• Egypt
• news
• Sustainable Development

Egypt has an estimated $519bn of construction projects under way, making it Africa’s largest projects market and the third biggest in the MENA region, after Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the Oxford Business Group (OBG).

The Egyptian government’s long-term plan is to build 37 new smart cities across the country.

The initiative will generate 4 million direct and 3 million indirect jobs, according to the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities. Once completed, it is thought that the network of new cities will house some 30 million people.

Smart cities leverage ICT to increase sustainability and efficiency. They consist of clusters of smart buildings that use integrated processes and creative design to self-regulate their operations and environment.

One smart city is currently under construction in the desert some 45 km from Cairo: the New Administrative Capital, which will be home to some 7 million people upon completion.

Another is New Alamein City, situated on the North Coast, which is set to provide housing for 2 million people. Elsewhere, December 2021 saw the launch of the first phase of the New Aswan City, which will cover more than 22,000 feddans and is expected to provide social housing for over 850,000 people.

Reflective of the broader sea change in the sector, in February Etisalat Misr, a subsidiary of UAE telecommunications group Etisalat, and US-based conglomerate Honeywell signed a partnership deal that will see the two firms collaborate on developing digital solutions for the Egyptian construction industry.

Honeywell will provide an internet-of-things platform to enable artificial intelligence and machine learning, while Etisalat Misr will be responsible for connectivity, hosting services and software-related issues.

This deal extends the ongoing collaboration between the two companies, which have been working together in the country for several years, with a focus on the field of smart city management.

Using eco-friendly construction materials:

Indeed, there have been a number of recent innovative developments in the industry. Local design and building company Hand Over has in recent years been a forerunner in sustainable construction.

Using a technique known as “rammed earth construction”, which uses eco-friendly materials such as gravel, mud and sand, plus a small amount of cement, the company has constructed a number of sustainable housing and building projects across the
country.

The technique has been shown to reduce heat and dampness in a building, leading to an estimated 30% reduction in carbon emissions on the back of lower energy usage.