At a Glance

• The Iraqi Prime Minister ordered every governorate to construct a new modern city.
• Each new municipal development must span between 10,000 and 15,000 dunams.
• Provincial investment commissions are required to submit comprehensive visions within one week.
• Master plans must bear the province's name and visually reflect local historical heritage

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi chaired a high-level meeting with the heads of all provincial investment commissions, directing each governorate to urgently draft plans within one week for a new modern city spanning 10,000 to 15,000 dunams to drive urban development and accommodate population growth.

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Key Statement and Focus Area

• The Prime Minister “stressed the importance of adopting a new vision for investment and urban development.”
• Al-Zaidi directed each governorate to build “a new modern city” covering between 10,000 and 15,000 dunams, with designs reflecting the area's distinct history, local heritage, and bearing the governorate's name.
• He directed that infrastructure loans be granted, a specialized study committee be formed, and land allocation procedures be expedited, giving investment commissions one week to submit their comprehensive visions.

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Prime Minister al-Zaidi met on Thursday with the heads of all provincial investment commissions, joined by the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, and the chairmen of both the National Investment Commission and the Higher Commission for Coordination among Governorates.

Al-Zaidi stressed the need for a new investment strategy focused on establishing modern, integrated cities across all governorates to drive sustainable economic development and accommodate rapid population growth.

He mandated that every governorate develop a new modern city spanning 10,000 to 15,000 dunams, stipulating that each project's master plan must bear the province's name and visually reflect its unique historical character and local heritage.

The Prime Minister also ordered that provincial investment commissions be granted infrastructure loans to ensure the "provision of essential services" in the new cities.

He stressed, “the need for these cities to serve as urban development hubs and represent a valuable addition to the governorates, while creating an attractive environment for residents, investment, and economic and service activities.”

Al-Zaidi also instructed the immediate formation of an expert committee to study implementation mechanisms while giving provincial investment commissions one week to submit their comprehensive project proposals.

Furthermore, al-Zaidi ordered the Ministry of Finance to streamline land allocation and subdivision processes to fast-track the development of the new cities.

FYI

The Iraqi government has expanded its national housing strategy by mandating that every governorate establish a new modern city covering up to 15,000 dunams to systematically tackle the country's housing crisis. 

According to recent updates from the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Public Municipalities, the state has already prepared 216,000 fully serviced residential plots to distribute to citizens across various provinces. These plots are a vital phase of the larger One Million Residential Land Plots Initiative, which is officially scheduled to open public digital applications in October 2026. 

This comprehensive satellite city and land allocation policy aims to directly alleviate inner-city overpopulation while providing durable infrastructure for future economic growth.

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