Madbouly touts Egypt’s ‘new cities’ expertise at Alamein forum, calling for integrated African urban planning

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly urged African nations to transform rapid urbanization from a demographic challenge into a primary engine for economic growth, industrialization, and job creation, speaking during a plenary session on cities and urban development at the Alamein Africa Forum on Saturday. Addressing the forum in the presence of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Madbouly noted that Africa is experiencing one of the world’s fastest urbanization rates, with the continent’s urban population projected to double by 2050. He argued that cities must no longer be viewed merely as residential clusters but as integrated economic, social, and environmental ecosystems. “The question we must ask is not just how to accommodate urban growth, but how to turn this growth into a driving force for comprehensive development and structural transformation in our economies,” Madbouly stated.

Exporting Egypt’s Urban Experience The Prime Minister highlighted Egypt’s extensive experience in spatial development and the construction of “fourth-generation cities,” citing the New Administrative Capital, New Alamein, and New Mansoura as models of integrated planning combining advanced digital infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic activity. He emphasized that Egypt is actively transferring this expertise across the continent through large-scale infrastructure projects executed by Egyptian firms. Madbouly pointed to the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant in Tanzania, road and bridge projects in Uganda (including the Saka bridge), and the Winneba-Takoradi road project in Ghana as proof of Cairo’s capacity to deliver complex infrastructure tailored to specific national needs. “Egypt does not present a theoretical model, but rather possesses executive expertise that can be…