On April 28, the plenary session of the fifth exhibition “INNOPROM. Central Asia – 2025” was held in Tashkent. INNOPROM. Central Asia is an annual international industrial exhibition held in the capital of Uzbekistan since 2021. “INNOPROM. Central Asia – 2025” covers an area of 18,000 square meters, with 4,143 square meters dedicated to Uzbekistan’s
On April 28, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu and Stefano Manfredi, General Director of the Spanish company TUBACEX IBF Kazakhstan discussed the establishment in Kazakhstan of the first seamless pipe plant in Central Asia, producing pipes from stainless steel and nickel alloys. The project aligns with Kazakhstan’s strategic
The 4th meeting of the Uzbek-Chinese Working Group on Investment Cooperation was held in Tashkent on April 24. The meeting reviewed progress made in the investment sector. It was noted that the total volume of bilateral investments exceeded USD 10 billion in 2024, marking a 2.5-fold increase compared to 2023. Key discussion areas included: Strengthening investment and financial
In Astana, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest national company, Madiyar Sultanbek met with representatives of Croatian company Sinitech Industries, Swedish company Ecolean, Kazakhstan’s AGRO HOLDING BAYAN, and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR). According to Kazakh Invest, the parties discussed a project to build a powdered milk plant using innovative mineralization technology tailored to the needs
Kyrgyzstandart, the national standardization body under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, has officially been accredited to certify food safety management systems in line with ISO 22000:2019. This accreditation positions Kyrgyzstan to independently certify food enterprises and reduce reliance on foreign institutions—lowering certification costs and helping producers enter international markets faster, the United Nations Development
On April 23, Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, participated in an international business forum held in Jizzakh. The event was organized as part of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative to actively promote regional investment opportunities. The forum brought together senior representatives from ministries, government agencies, industry associations, and local authorities, along
Afghanistan’s economy is gradually recovering, but at a slow pace, and the outlook remains uncertain due to fiscal pressures, a widening trade deficit, and persistent poverty and food insecurity, says the World Bank’s latest Afghanistan Development Update. Afghanistan’s GDP is estimated to have grown 2.5 percent in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of economic expansion.
Kyrgyzstan now has 7,410 job vacancies, including 6,164 blue-collar jobs and 1,246 office jobs, according to the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration. Two months ago, on February 1, 2025, Kyrgyzstan had 6,305 job vacancies. The blue-collar job vacancies include: The office job vacancies include: Since the beginning of the year, a total of
Kazakhstan’s creative economy is gradually becoming a powerful engine of economic growth, transforming traditional approaches to the country’s development. A look at the data and trends in the sector raises the question: could Kazakhstan become a new centre of creative power in the region? Here below is an article on the issue, written by Irina
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $121 million in financing for the first phase of the Kyrgyz Republic Water Supply and Sanitation Universal Access Program. It is part of a multi-phase programmatic approach, with a $400 million financing envelope over the next decade, enabling the Kyrgyz government to provide universal access to and improve
Over the past 5 years, Uzbekistan’s electricity production increased by 30% and reached 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. By 2035 the electricity use in the country will reach 121 billion kilowatt-hours. By 2030 the share of “green” energy in the total generation volume is planned to reach 54%. This was said at a government meeting chaired by
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors have approved $120 million for Developing a Sustainable Finance Market for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Kyrgyz Republic project. This landmark initiative will be co-financed by a $50 million loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). With a total funding of $170 million, the project aims
Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov last week met with the President of PGI Management Joan Viladomat to discuss cooperation in the development of ski tourism in the Almaty mountain cluster and modernization of its infrastructure to adapt to international standards. Joan Viladomat told about his company’s projects in a number of countries. Today the company
Kyrgyzstan’s creative industries are beginning to play an increasingly important role in the country’s economy, although their contribution to gross domestic product is still very small. This has led to the creation of the Creative Industries Park, which opens up new opportunities for the development of sectors such as design, advertising, cinema and architecture, reads
The international exhibition Central Asian Business Expo-2025 was held in the United States, bringing together major international companies, investors, and government representatives. The Uzbek delegation, led by Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, showcased the country’s ongoing digital transformation and investment potential in the IT sector. Throughout the event, bilateral meetings were conducted with a
Construction of an industrial park by China’s Fufeng Group, specializing in deep corn processing, was officially launched in the Zhambyl region in south Kazakhstan on April 16. According to Kazakh Invest national investment promotion company, the project is being implemented in the Shu district near the Jibek Joly special economic zone (SEZ). The
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan received foreign direct investment (FDI) totaling $872.6 million, compared to $844.9 million in 2023, according to the National Statistical Committee. Most of the investments came from China (23.9%), Russia (22.7%), Turkey (10.2%), Luxembourg (8.8%), Kazakhstan (5.7%), the Netherlands (4.9%), Azerbaijan (3.4%), and other countries (20.4%). Compared to 2023, the inflow of FDI
During a visit to Japan on April 15, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with representatives of the Japanese business community. From the Japanese side, the meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of the Turkmen-Japanese Economic Committee, Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Komatsu Ltd., Toyo Engineering Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Sanko Seikа Co. Ltd.,
Kazakhstan’s national atomic company Kazatomprom has announced the signing of a landmark agreement with ČEZ, a. s. on the supply of Kazakh natural uranium concentrates for the Temelín nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. The supply of Kazakh uranium during the next seven years can cover approximately one-third of uranium needs for Westinghouse-manufactured fuel
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing a working capital loan of up to $6 million (€5.7 million) to UzCarlsberg, boosting the company’s operational efficiency and contributing to higher food safety standards in Uzbekistan. UzCarlsberg, which has been a client of the Bank since 2022 and is the country’s only
