Egypt plans to build a new capital adjacent to Cairo

Egypt's government has announced plans to build a new capital adjacent to Cairo, in a massive new project that in its first phase would cost $45bn and take up to seven years to complete, Al Jazeera reported.

Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the plan on Friday at the opening of the three-day international economic conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh and attended by hundreds of business executives and world leaders.

The aim, he said, is to alleviate congestion and overpopulation in Cairo over the next 40 years. By that time, Cairo - currently home to about 18 million - would have doubled in size.

The first phase of the ambitious programme, Madbouly said, is an expansion of the current outskirts of the capital to the east, adding an additional 105km of development.

The area would be a new administrative centre including government offices, diplomatic missions and housing as well as universities, a technology and innovation park, and 10,000km of roads.