The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says it has signed a transaction advisory services agreement with the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Satbayev University to develop modern, affordable, inclusive, and resilient student accommodation through a public–private partnership (PPP).
Under the agreement, ADB will act as transaction advisor for the project, which aims to develop student accommodation at Satbayev University under a design-build-finance-operate-maintain model. The agreement was signed by Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, Satbayev University Rector Meiram Begentayev, and ADB Country Director for Kazakhstan Utsav Kumar.
“The project will help improve access to higher education and student welfare while mobilizing private sector investment for social infrastructure,” said ADB Country Director for Kazakhstan Utsav Kumar. “This pilot is expected to set a replicable model for future student accommodation projects through PPPs across Kazakhstan.”
ADB’s support will include preparation of feasibility studies and project documentation, marketing, and tendering. Once tendered, the project will be one of the first transactions under Kazakhstan’s newly consolidated 2025 PPP Law and among the first user-pay PPPs targeting international investors.
Satbayev University is Kazakhstan’s largest technical university, with more than 10,000 students enrolled, nearly 80% of whom come from regions outside Almaty. Existing on campus accommodation provides only about 2,300 beds, limiting access for students from remote areas and creating pressure on the private housing market.
This agreement is ADB’s third PPP advisory with the Government of Kazakhstan, following earlier agreements in the energy and health care sectors. In addition to transaction advisory support, ADB helped strengthen the country’s PPP framework through policy advice, which contributed to the adoption of a unified PPP Law in 2025.
