British Ambassador to Egypt visits New Administrative Capital

The British Ambassador to Egypt, Sir Geoffrey Adams, visited the New Administrative Capital (NAC) yesterday, accompanied by Director of the British Council Elizabeth White as well as a large delegation from the embassy. The delegation toured some of the most significant developments, with a particular focus on sustainability, renewable energy, and higher education. These included the capital’s Green River, the Government District – along with the PV solar panel system covering its rooftops – the new monorail, and the branch campuses of the British universities, Coventry University and the University of Hertfordshire.

General Ahmed Abdeen, Chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), greeted the Ambassador at the ACUD office, where they discussed the UK’s business contribution to the capital’s development. This includes the opening of two UK branch universities in 2019, and the UK’s substantial investment in the $4.6bn deal to construct the new monorail, which will connect Cairo with the NAC and provide clean transportation for Egyptian citizens.

Following a visit to the site of the Green River, and after witnessing the positive progress on installation of solar panels on the roofs of ministerial buildings, in cooperation with UNDP, the Ambassador visited the Coventry and Hertfordshire branch campuses. There he was welcomed by two large delegations, one from Coventry including the CEO of El Sewedy Education, Ihab Salama, and President of The Knowledge Hub Universities, Dr Mahmoud Allam, and a second from the University of Hertfordshire, including President Dr. Vincent Emery.

The Ambassador was able to see first-hand the state-of-the-art technology on display, including innovative labs and advanced technologies used by students in the fields of robotics and engineering at Coventry University, as well as facilities for students studying pharmacy at the University of Hertfordshire.

Sir Geoffrey commented: “I was delighted to bring a large delegation, representing departments across the Embassy, to visit the NAC yesterday. Our visit had two themes: sustainability and higher education. On sustainability, I was particularly struck by the solar panels covering the entirety of the city. This is a really encouraging sign of the importance the Egyptian government is placing on green energy. It’s a particularly important subject this year, as the UK and Egypt work together on ambitious climate targets ahead of COP26, the major UN conference which the UK will be hosting in November.

On higher education, I was delighted to see the fantastic progress made by the two British universities established in the NAC - Hertfordshire and Coventry - since my last visit. Education is at the heart of the relationship between the UK and Egypt, and we are determined to expand that partnership further - whether by encouraging new branch campuses, by offering scholarships and dual degrees, or by supporting capacity building in Egyptian educational organisations.”

President of The Knowledge Hub Universities, which hosts Coventry University in the NAC, Dr. Mahmoud Allam said: “We were honoured by the visit of H.E Sir Geoffrey Adams, UK Ambassador to Egypt and the high level UK delegation. We are proud to have a UK University, Coventry University, as our first strategic partner. We are expanding our collaboration with Coventry University by adding new programmes every year and we are looking forward to develop more partnerships with other esteemed UK universities to bring high quality UK education to students in Egypt and the region.”

President of the University of Hertfordshire Dr. Vincent Emery, said: “It is a great honour to welcome His Excellency Sir Geoffrey Adams, the British Ambassador to Egypt, to the University of Hertfordshire hosted by Global Academic Foundation in the New Administrative Capital. His Excellency visited us just after we opened and so in his second visit he was able to see the fantastic progress we have made on our campus to provide a vibrant learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities, which will power our students to reach their full potential and prepare them to contribute to the world of tomorrow.”