People watch fireworks light up the sky above the Great Pyramids of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo during New Year celebrations, early on January 1, 2026. AFP
The ranking, highlighted in an infographic shared by the Cabinet Media Centre on social media, reflects extensive urban, infrastructure, and transport developments in Cairo, strengthening its position as a leading investment destination on the continent.
Jeune Afrique’s 2025 index assessed 30 cities selected from a pool of 41 African cities, combining analysis of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows with surveys measuring quality of life, infrastructure, and access to services.
According to the report, Cairo emerged as Africa’s most open city to foreign direct investment, attracting around $11.3 billion in FDI between 2019 and 2023. The magazine cited the capital’s vast domestic market, export-based potential, and comparatively low labour costs as key factors drawing multinational companies and investors seeking regional expansion.
The report also highlighted Cairo’s extensive infrastructure upgrades, including expanded road networks, mass transit systems, and logistics corridors, alongside major urban development projects that have reshaped the metropolitan area and improved connectivity.
Jeune Afrique noted that government-led urban expansion has been central to Cairo’s rising attractiveness, particularly the construction of several new cities to absorb population growth.
Notably, Egypt’s New Capital has attracted around $60 billion in investment.
The 2025 ranking reflects a broader shift in African urban competitiveness, with cities increasingly evaluated on economic performance as well as livability, safety, services, and infrastructure reliability.
Cairo’s top position comes amid competition among African capitals to become hubs for investment, trade, and talent, as urbanization accelerates and demand grows for resilient infrastructure and sustainable growth.
While cities like Kigali and Cape Town continue to score highly for governance, cleanliness, and safety, Jeune Afrique said Cairo stands out for its economic scale and capacity to absorb investment, making it Africa’s most consequential urban market.
The magazine noted that Cape Town, which slipped to fourth place after leading the ranking in 2024, continued to outperform most cities in livability indicators but was held back by weaker recent investment momentum and broader economic uncertainty in South Africa.
Johannesburg, while remaining a major financial centre, scored lower due to residents' perceptions of safety and service reliability.
Cairo also outperformed North African peers such as Casablanca and Rabat, which ranked in the top 10.
While Moroccan cities scored highly on logistics, governance, and exports, Cairo’s larger domestic market, labour force, and industrial capacity gave it an edge as a regional manufacturing and export hub.
Emerging cities such as Tangier, Mombasa, and Dar es Salaam were cited as fast-growing investment destinations, benefiting from port expansion and regional trade corridors. However, the report noted that these cities remain less mature than Cairo in terms of population and infrastructure.
The report emphasized that high resident satisfaction does not always guarantee a top overall ranking; cities also need strong investment attractiveness and economic scale.
Cairo’s first-place finish reflected what the magazine described as a “balanced dominance” across hard economic indicators and improving livability metrics.
The Cabinet Media Centre said the ranking highlights Cairo’s growing international competitiveness and the impact of long-term development policies transforming the capital into a modern, globally connected city.
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