A series of meetings took place last week between Gabidulla Ospankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and Marat Birimzhan, the overseas representative of the Kazakh Invest National Company, with the leadership of major U.S. companies specializing in technological solutions, industry, healthcare, and energy. The discussions focused on
On March 11, just prior to the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to France, a French-Uzbek business forum took place in Paris. The event was attended by leaders from relevant ministries, as well as representatives from about 100 companies, financial institutions, and business organizations from both countries. Addressing the participants, Uzbek Minister of
The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to launch a new joint initiative worth $2 million to enhance flood resilience and strengthening dam safety in Kazakhstan. The new project will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan under
On March 10, Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, participated in the 6th annual consultations between Uzbekistan and the French Development Agency (AFD). The meeting also included representatives from AFD, Proparco, and Expertise France, as well as leading experts and entrepreneurs. The meeting explored new opportunities for joint economic development
The government of Kyrgyzstan has drafted the country’s National Development Program until 2030 and submitted the document for public discussion. The Program aims to achieve the following targets by 2030: The Program identifies four key areas of development:
The Uzbek Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade has announced the successful bilateral implementation of the necessary procedures for the entry into force of the Protocol on Exemptions from the Free Trade Regime to the Agreement between the Government of Uzbekistan and the Government of Turkmenistan. This agreement outlines the primary directions for long-term trade
In the following article published in the latest issue of OCA Magazine, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Nick Rowan, analyzes the investment landscape and offers forecasts for the future state of investment in Central Asia and the CIS: Things are moving fast in Central Asia and the former Soviet Union (CIS) countries. The investment landscape has undergone
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan and Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is launching a project aimed at supporting the resilience of agricultural production and conserving ecosystems
In 2025, Kazakhstan plans to build 1,953 km of irrigation canals to provide water to 256,000 hectares of farmland, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced at a government meeting on March 4. This year, as part of the first phase of the Water Resources Management Program for 2024-2030, the Ministry of Water
On March 5, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a meeting of the National Council on Combating Corruption. The meeting analyzed the work carried out on creating corruption-free environment and defined further goals. In his speech, the head of state mentioned that corruption is a serious challenge in the course of reforms. Uzbekistan has taken
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water says that 70% of the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project in Afghanistan has been completed, TOLOnews reported. According to the ministry, if the World Bank provides the necessary funding, the Afghan government is prepared to complete the remaining work on this project. This major regional project, which connects Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan consumed 18.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, 1.1 billion kWh more than in 2023, the country’s Ministry of Energy said. Kyrgyzstan’s hydroelectric power plants generated 12.77 billion kWh and coal-fired thermal power plants produced 1.76 billion kWh. In addition, small private hydroelectric power plants produced 156.2 million kWh, while solar power plants added
KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), and major Chinese operator Yiwu Timex have discussed expanding cooperation in the field of international transportation with a focus on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and new logistics services for deliveries to Central Asian countries, the KTZ press
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov last week met with Zeng Zhaoqiang, the Chairman of the Board of Fujian Hengwang Investment Co., Ltd, one of the leading metallurgical companies in China. The meeting discussed the construction of a metallurgical plant with a capacity of 3 million tons of steel on the territory of the special
On February 26, Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, met with Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Management Board, to discuss further cooperation on joint projects. In 2024, the Bank allocated nearly US $1.4 billion to projects in Kazakhstan. Over the past three years, the Bank’s total investment in the country has reached
As part of the visit of Adylbek Kasymaliyev, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, to Kazakhstan on February 25, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz energy ministries signed a roadmap for construction of small hydroelectric power plants in Kyrgyzstan. According to the Kazakh Energy Ministry, the initiative is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the
In an interview with the Kabar information agency, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov said that the country’s external debt is “not a problem.” According to Japarov, Kyrgyzstan’s external debt now stands at $4.5 billion. “We are not afraid of the external debt now. Before 2020, we had reasons to worry. In 2020, Kyrgyzstan’s state budget was
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $125 million loan to support the Government of Uzbekistan in modernizing water management, improving water security, and increasing access to safe and reliable water in the country. The Climate-Smart Water Management Improvement Project will improve asset management and sustainability of service delivery, while strengthening the institutional capacity of the
In 2024, 98.9% of all Kazakhstanis had access to centralized water supply services. Of them, 99.4% of urban and 97.8% of rural residents are provided with quality drinking water supply, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. In 2020, 93.8% of Kazakhstanis had access to drinking water supply, in 2021 – 95.6%, in
A high-ranking delegation of Afghanistan, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, visited Uzbekistan late last week, TOLOnews reported. Mullah Baradar described the visit as productive, stating that during negotiations with Uzbek officials, agreements were reached on expanding trade, importing electricity, exporting Afghanistan’s agricultural products, developing transportation, and constructing a
