The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) approved the construction of the new Tarboul Industrial City under the investment zones system last week. The ambitious project, which now awaits the go-ahead from Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, will be carried out on 26,000 acres in southern Giza near the town of Atfih.

The area had originally been allocated for the construction of a residential extension to Atfih and neighbouring villages, in accordance with an executive order by the Ministry of Housing in 2015. However, as the poor economic capacity of the area would hamper the implementation of the project, the government shifted its approach to developing it into an investment zone that would benefit the area’s inhabitants.