The Egyptian government is set to begin redeveloping the former headquarters of the Ministries of Labor and Higher Education in Downtown Cairo this year. The plan is to repurpose both buildings for administrative use after the state failed to secure suitable investment offers, a source at the Ministry of Housing’s Urban Planning Department told Al Manassa.
The buildings have stood empty since their ministries relocated to the New Administrative Capital. In March 2025, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government had received several requests to make use of vacated government properties, while former Investment Minister Hassan El-Khatib noted that some investors were interested in converting select buildings into hotels.
Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar also voiced interest in investing in Downtown Cairo last September, saying: “I want Downtown Cairo, not only for investment, but because I love this city. It speaks of grandeur.”
According to the ministry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the government hopes to finish developing both buildings by the first half of next year. In the meantime, authorities are also studying development plans for other state-owned buildings in the area.
Officials say they will keep the door open to private-sector offers for tourism or hotel partnerships in the two buildings even after the administrative redevelopment is complete. But if no viable offers come in, the source said, the buildings could simply be handed over to other government bodies for office use.
The move is part of a broader push to repurpose prime real estate in Downtown Cairo. In December 2021, an American-Emirati consortium won the rights to redevelop the Tahrir Complex into a hotel, with initial investments exceeding 3.5 billion Egyptian pounds (then around $180 million).
In February 2025, Cairo House Egypt, the project’s owner, announced a management agreement with Marriott International under its Autograph Collection brand. The development, to be named “Cairo House,” is planned to include around 500 hotel rooms, suites, and luxury apartments, along with restaurants, entertainment venues, and event spaces. The project has yet to be completed, however, despite an original deadline of late 2024.
