Updated
Updated · Astana Times · Jul 13
Tokayev Orders Social-Infrastructure Program as Kazakhstan Posts 4.1% First-Half GDP Growth
Updated
Updated · Astana Times · Jul 13

Tokayev Orders Social-Infrastructure Program as Kazakhstan Posts 4.1% First-Half GDP Growth

3 articles · Updated · Astana Times · Jul 13

Summary

  • July 13 talks in Astana ended with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordering a large-scale social and infrastructure buildout, centered on modern healthcare facilities, after reviewing first-half economic results.
  • GDP grew 4.1% in January-June, led by manufacturing at 9.8% and construction at 15.2%, while fixed-capital investment reached 9.5 trillion tenge and private investment rose 21.4%.
  • Bektenov said Kazakhstan plans 200 manufacturing projects worth 1.7 trillion tenge this year, creating 17,000 permanent jobs, alongside major road works, a second Astana airport and the next LRT phase.
  • Inflation still ran at 10.3% in June as the government pursued income-support and social-payment reforms expected to save more than 800 billion tenge annually, while energy upgrades target 12,000 kilometers of utility networks this year.
  • The review also highlighted longer-term bets on AI and tourism, including a 250-megawatt Data Center Valley project with more than $10 billion in foreign investment and the Almaty SuperSki resort due in 2028.

Insights

With Kazakhstan's GDP soaring and inflation high, will new megaprojects lift up citizens or just increase the cost of living?
From a new airport to a super-highway, Kazakhstan is spending billions. Will these projects become global hubs or just expensive monuments?
Kazakhstan's new Nvidia data center is a digital dream, but is it being built on a foundation of coal-powered energy?