The infrastructure work of the new convention center in the new administrative capital is currently underway, at a cost of EGP 5.3 billion ($600 million), said Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade, Tarek Kabil, reported Amwal Al Ghad.

The convention center aims to convert Egypt into a regional hub for international exhibitions and conferences, added Kabil.

The first phase of the new capital will include 42,000 housing units, ministerial buildings, the biggest park in the Middle East, and an artificial lake over an area of 33,000 acres.

The new capital project was announced in March of 2015 during the  Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC), while construction work on phase 1 of the project has commenced in April.