Overview
- State media released footage after the July 7 inauguration showing eight linked octagonal buildings on roughly 8,900 hectares in the New Administrative Capital.
- Officials describe the Octagon as a single hub for military leadership, operational planning, intelligence work, secure communications and real‑time AI data analysis.
- Egyptian sources and analysts cited early uses such as flood warnings for Sudan and support for shipping and supply‑chain security in the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
- Critics point to the estimated cost—reported by one outlet at about €50 billion—and say the project raises questions given Egypt’s high external debt of around €143 billion and its deep economic strain.
- The complex is the latest in a string of large infrastructure projects under President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi and serves both operational aims and a public demonstration of state power.