Egypt Prepares for its Move to the New Administrative Capital

An aerial view of roads and the construction site in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)
An aerial view of roads and the construction site in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)
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Egypt Prepares for its Move to the New Administrative Capital

An aerial view of roads and the construction site in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)
An aerial view of roads and the construction site in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)

The Egyptian government is training its employees to work in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), ahead of its move before the end of this year.

The government implemented several projects, worth around $300 billion, in the New Administrative Capital, which is located 75 kilometers east of Cairo.

Head of the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA) Saleh El-Sheikh said that 4,942 employees nominated for the transfer completed their training amid strict precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that government services are set to start operating in NAC on an experimental basis in August.

The operation will begin after government employees are relocated to the NAC, aiming to ensure that all facilities are available before the official inauguration, which was scheduled for last year but was delayed because of the pandemic.

The plan aims to train employees on issues relating to raising national awareness and job performance, concepts and challenges of national security, and an explanation of the concept of fourth-generation warfare.

The training will also address the components of state success, the concepts of governance and anti-corruption, as well as basic computer skills, as indicated by the head of the Central Agency.

The plan also includes training the nominated employees on a package of competency programs, according to the evaluation of behavioral competencies carried out by the Ministry of Planning.

In addition, each nominated employee will receive a “training card”, which includes the needs of their behavioral competencies such as the need for achievement, emotional balance, communication effectiveness, performance efficiency, self-confidence, teamwork, decision-making and time management.

Each group will be coached according to its field of work, and they will be receiving training about the New Administrative Capital applications so that transferred employees become fully aware of how to operate and use these programs.

The NAC will house 10 ministerial complexes grouping together 34 ministries, in addition to the headquarters of the cabinet and the parliament and includes 52,300 state employees.



Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.