By Presidential order, Government to strengthen requirements to ensure industrial safety

21.02.2025, 21:14 1

Kazakhstan names new First Vice Minister of National Economy

Images | primeminister.kz

By governmental order, Azamat Amrin has been appointed to the post of the First Vice Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, Kazinform reports.

Born in 1973 in North Kazakhstan region, Amrin graduated from the Akmola Agricultural Institute, Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University.

Until 2008, Amrin took up different positions in the Tax Committee in North Kazakhstan region.

From 2008 to 2011, he acted as the governor of Shal akyn district, North Kazakhstan region.

In 2013, he served as the deputy director, director of the Tax and Customs Policy Department of the Kazakh National Economy Ministry.

In 2020, Amrin was appointed as the Vice Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan.

Earlier it was reported that Berik Uali had been named the governor of Abai region.

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20.02.2025, 21:11 21

Kazakhstan to breathe new life into 4,000 villages through preferential loans

At today's roundtable meeting in the Majilis, Vice Minister of National Economy Bauyrzhan Omarbekov announced the plans to increase the number of villages eligible for preferential loans, Kazinform News Agency reports.

50 billion tenge will be allocated in 2025 under the Auyl Amanaty program for projects implementation. Previously, this program was administered by the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, the government took a decision transfer it to the Ministry of National Economy," he said at a roundtable meeting in the Majilis.

The vice minister reminded of the President’s instruction to combine Auyl -El Besigi and Auyl Amanaty programs.

According to him, villages with a high development potential will be more eligible for preferential loans.

Perhaps, we need to revise the current list of 3,500 villages needing government assistance. Henceforth, we will focus on economic potential, but not on the number of population. Thus, we will likely increase the number of these villages to 4,000," Bauyrzhan Omarbekov added.

Earlier, majilisman Zhiguli Dairabayev said that 80 villages had disappeared in Kazakhstan in the past two years.

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20.02.2025, 20:08 521

President Tokayev urges stronger workplace safety after Kazakhmys mine collapse

Images | Akorda

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed to the ‘unacceptable situation’ in terms of safety at work after the shaft of Zhomart mine operated by Kazakhmys Corporation collapsed on February 17 in Ulytau region, killing seven miners, Kazinform reports.

Violations of the rules set, a lack of safety equipment, inadequate funding in projects aimed at ensuring safe work conditions lead to man-made accidents, deaths and injuries among workers, the Kazakh President warned.

Tokayev called on the government to take measures to ensure the safety of citizens involved in hazardous activities. They include examining facilities for their compliance with the industrial safety standards; developing and implementing the latest safety systems at the facilities, including gas alarms, seismic sensors, positioning systems and so on; ensuring application of digital technologies at the facilities, especially implementing automated forecasting and alert systems; ensuring increase in investments in the latest industrial safety systems by adjusting subsoil users’ work programs following the examination; tighten oversight and control mechanisms in the industrial safety area.

The instructions above are under special control of the Administration of the President.

As earlier reported, seven workers were trapped inside an underground shaft at Zhomart mine in Ulytau region, Kazakhstan.

The incident occurred at around 4:50 pm local time 150km away from Zhezkazgan town.

The bodies of all seven workers were retrieved, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. Names of miners killed at the Zhomart mine were revealed.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev extended condolences to the families of the miners killed in the Kazakhmys Corporation’s mine collapse in Ulytau region.

To note, Kazakhmys Corporation will give necessary assistance provided for by collective agreement to the families of the miners killed at the Zhomart mine in Ulytau region.

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20.02.2025, 19:00 796

Kazakhstan unveils logo for 80th anniversary of Great Victory

Images | The Kazakh Ministry of Defense

The official logo for the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War was presented at the Kazakh Ministry of Defense, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Earlier, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Great Victory would hold a prominent place in the government's agenda this year in an interview with Ana Tili (Mother Tongue) newspaper.

People of Kazakhstan made a significant contribution to the defeat of Nazism. Our fathers and grandfathers fought heroically on all fronts, and Kazakhstan also became a reliable rear, playing a crucial role in supplying the army with weapons, industrial goods, and food," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The celebration plan for the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory is packed with events. The centerpiece will be a military parade in Astana, accompanied by concerts, exhibitions, and the release of documentaries and TV programs. Historical books and photo albums will also be published, and research efforts to honor the memory of our soldiers will also continue.

The celebration calendar will also include events dedicated to the upcoming 115th anniversary of Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, the 110th anniversary of Malik Gabdullin, and the 100th anniversary of Aliya Moldagulova.

As reported earlier, a logo was unveiled for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the legendary Kazakh sniper Aliya Moldagulova.

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20.02.2025, 18:10 3916

6,000 jobs, export growth and share of in-country value: Olzhas Bektenov chairs Baiterek Holding Board of Directors meeting

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a meeting of the Board of Directors of National Management Holding Baiterek JSC, primeminister.kz reports.

Head of the Government was informed about the results of investment and financial activities of the holding and its subsidiaries for 2024 in terms of support for domestic producers, provided within the existing instruments.

Chairman of the Board of Baiterek NUH Rustam Karagoyshin reported on measures taken to finance the non-resource sector of the economy for a total amount of 4.09 trillion. Compared to the previous year, the volume of support increased by 52 per cent. A total of about 58,000 private companies and organisations that do not belong to quasi-public sector entities are covered. As a result of increased state support measures, more than 6,000 new jobs were created in the regions. Manufacturers produced products and provided services worth 7.3 trillion tenge. At the same time, the volume of exports increased by more than a third and reached over 1 trillion 046.1 billion tenge.

Special attention was paid to the development of the country's agro-industrial complex. Thus, through the instruments of the holding and its structures, the agrarians purchased more than 10,500 units of agricultural machinery and equipment. In addition, a programme was launched to finance spring field and harvesting operations by attracting bonded loans on market terms. In order to develop a green economy, 3 projects in the field of energy for the amount of 14.5 billion tenge were supported.

The Head of the Government was reported on measures taken to increase the share of in-country value in the procurement of goods, works and services of the group of companies of NUH Baiterek JSC. In works the share increased from 97.9% in 2023 to 99.9% in 2024, in services from 94% to 96%, in goods from 3% to 48%. The total volume of purchases by the group of companies of NUH Baiterek JSC last year amounted to 54 billion tenge. At the same time, 46 billion tenge, or 85%, was purchased from domestic producers of goods, works and services.

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20.02.2025, 17:08 4086

Prime Minister supported the proposal and gave a corresponding instruction to the Ministry of Transport

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting of the Council of Domestic Entrepreneurs on the development of transport and logistics infrastructure of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the participation of the leadership of sectoral ministries and government organisations, primeminister.kz reports.

A constructive dialogue was held on the current situation and problems in the field of road, rail, water and air transport. Representatives of business stated about the existing administrative barriers that prevent the infusion of private investment and the implementation of new infrastructure projects in the industry. Proposals were made to improve regulatory norms to improve the business climate in the country.

Bakytbek Kadirov, General Director of Konkurent-B LLP, made proposals on attracting private investment in the railway industry. In particular, the construction of new tracks in regions that lack infrastructure but have potential for economic growth. This will help expand infrastructure bottlenecks and ensure the development of territorial connectivity within the country.

Prime Minister supported the initiative on private investments in the construction of railways and instructed the Ministry of Transport to make concrete proposals on the mechanism of return of investments till 1 March this year.

President of the Union of International Road Carriers Maksat Saktaganov raised the issue of control in transport. As a proposal the idea to introduce currency control on road transport was voiced. Also, in his opinion, it is necessary to amend the legislation on the procedure for checking the authenticity of authorisation documents.

Deputy Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov reported on plans to introduce QR-codes in order to ensure transparency of permit documents to prevent forgeries.

Director of Victory trans LLP Kuanyshbek Sadyrbayev initiated a number of changes in the rules of application of the permit system of road transport in Kazakhstan in international traffic to support domestic carriers.

Marat Berkaliyev, President of the Association Automobile Convent of Kazakhstan, which unites 60 large and 40 small bus carriers of the country, made proposals regarding the approval of a set of measures for the development of passenger transport on road transport in Kazakhstan for 3 years, which will provide for full subsidisation of losses of carriers, fleet renewal, etc.

Prime Minister supported the proposal and gave a corresponding instruction to the Ministry of Transport.

General Director of International Airport Sary-Arka JSC Yerlan Ospanov proposed a number of measures for the development of air hubs and infrastructure of small aviation. Emphasis was placed on the need for systemic development of airports, increasing their economic sustainability.

Prime Minister expressed support for the initiatives and emphasised the importance of creating competitive conditions for the work of airports. Additional meetings will be held on this issue for detailed elaboration and decision-making.

Following the meeting the head of the Government noted that the development of transport infrastructure requires active cooperation between the state and business. The state budget cannot cover all the needs of the industry, so attracting private investment is a priority.

Joint work of the Government and Atameken NCE on strengthening the interaction between business and government agencies for the effective development of the country's economy continues.

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20.02.2025, 09:06 4256

Olzhas Bektenov: Attracting investments as top priority for akims and ministers

Images | primeminister.kz

Prime Minister held a meeting to review the implementation of the Head of State's instructions on attracting investment in the country's economy, primeminister.kz reports.

The main goal is to accelerate the implementation of large investment projects and solution of systemic problems that hinder the improvement of investment climate in the country, as well as consideration of possible measures to improve the effectiveness of investment policy, creation of favourable conditions for investors and intensification of work on attracting capital.

The information of the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazakh Invest on the pace of work and analysing the factors that affected the dynamics of investment activity was heard. In 2024 in Kazakhstan put into operation 230 investment projects for 1.85 trillion tenge. The work of the Investment Headquarters for the year allowed to eliminate 115 problematic issues of investors on projects totalling over $50 billion.

An approach of targeting investors in priority niches where Kazakhstan has a competitive advantage with the potential for higher conversion and export opportunities is being implemented. TOP-10 companies have been identified as industry leaders for negotiations on specific prospects for co-operation and transition to the stage of active investment. Thus, the work is being restructured through the principle of order for investment taking into account the needs of the economy, competitive advantages of the regions and other factors.

For example, productive work has been carried out with major Chinese agro-industrial companies. Fufeng Group in the near future plans to start construction of a $350 million plant for the production of sodium glutomate through deep processing of corn in Zhambyl region. Dalian Hesheng Holding Group will start construction and assembly works within the complex on deep processing of wheat in Akmola region for $650 mn this summer. Active work on ‘landing’ of projects, i.e. creation of favourable conditions, including accessible infrastructure and operative solution of administrative issues, continues with all companies.

In addition, 20 strategic projects with a total investment volume of $12bn have been identified covering key sectors of the economy, including agro-industrial complex, energy, industry, production of construction materials and others.

Among the presented projects, it is planned to conclude Investment Agreements on 14 projects this year, to start construction and installation works on 13 projects, and to start development of design and estimate documentation on 16 projects.

Attention was also paid to the projects, agreements on the implementation of which were concluded within working visits, meetings and other events. Prime Minister dwelt in detail on investment projects, where the terms of their implementation had been disrupted. Akims of Almaty, Aktobe, Atyrau, Zhambyl regions, cities of Astana, Shymkent and ministers of health, trade were heard.

To date, the measures taken to attract investment from the akimats do not reveal the opportunities of the regions, the economic potential is not sufficiently utilised. Work in this direction should be carried out at all levels of the vertical of local government, including regional akims," Head of the Government instructed.

The Government approved approaches to the introduction of planned indicators of the work of regional akimats, ministries.

A new National Digital Investment Platform will become an effective mechanism for monitoring and strengthening control over the implementation of projects, where today there is already data on 1159 projects. The data will be filled in jointly with Atameken NCE and verified on the ground by akimats.

At the same time, during the meeting a number of problematic issues affecting the efficiency of work of government agencies and requiring action were noted.

Among them are deficit and lack of prompt supply of infrastructure, complicated administrative procedures and delays in issuing permits, long terms of granting land plots. Necessary decisions have been taken on all issues.

The President noted at the enlarged meeting that attracting investment is a critical issue that requires more prompt work without excessive bureaucracy. State bodies and especially akimats need to manually control the implementation of projects. Akims and ministers should deal with this issue on a daily basis. This is the main task for today - it is necessary to promptly resolve the issues of investors," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised.

The work in this direction is under special control of the Prime Minister.

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19.02.2025, 20:04 3666

Aviation industry digitalisation ensures flight safety and creates convenience for passengers

The Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Dmitry Mun, reported on the ongoing work on digitalisation of the aviation industry at a government session, primeminister.kz reports.

He noted that the digital transformation of the aviation industry ensures regulation and safety through certification, registration and licensing of personnel, aircraft and organisations, as well as compliance with national and international standards.

There are 58 public services in the civil aviation sector that are 100 per cent digital, which has significantly simplified and accelerated the process of obtaining them. Over the past year, 21,000 state services were provided electronically. Among them are issuing permits for international irregular flights, certificates for aviation personnel, as well as certificates for crew members," Dmitry Mun informed.

It was noted that the digital transformation has affected not only the professional aviation community, but also millions of passengers. Previously, travelling abroad or even travelling within the country could become stressful due to forgotten documents. Often citizens faced situations when they did not have their ID card, a child's birth certificate or a power of attorney for a legal representative, for example, if a grandmother accompanied her grandchildren. There are now 35 digital documents available on the eGov Mobile app, including: ID card, birth certificate, digital powers of attorney for legal representatives.

Important legislative changes have been made to ensure the legitimacy of digital documents. Among other things, new norms have been introduced to Article 640 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan to eliminate cases of refusal to accept digital documents. These changes ensure full recognition of digital documents and guarantee their use in all official procedures. Digital documents now have the same legal force as paper documents.

In addition to the introduction of digital documents, additional services have been developed to make travelling even more comfortable.

The Deputy Minister also drew attention to the functioning of the service for checking departure bans. This tool, according to him, allows citizens to instantly check whether there is a travel ban due to debts. If a ban is detected, the user can immediately pay the debt through bank digital services. Once the payment is confirmed, the ban is lifted, eliminating unexpected situations at the airport.

In addition, together with the Ministry of Transport, more than 70 business processes were re-engineered for industry employees. The expected effect of digital transformation: a 43% reduction in documents provided by citizens and businesses, and a 34% reduction in the number of steps in processes.

For example, for the state registration of civil aircraft, now all records of aircraft and pilots are stored on paper. Now all this information will be stored in a database. Inspectors with tablets will see all the information at once and acts will be formed by themselves. As a result, the time of rendering public services will be reduced by 30 working days and the number of input documents will be reduced in general.

The Astana Hub ecosystem also includes startups that innovate in the aviation system, they help buy tickets online, provide in-flight entertainment, etc.

According to the Vice Minister, the global practice of digitalisation of the aviation industry shows that in Europe fully automatic aircraft are being developed, which can take off and land without the participation of a pilot, relying only on artificial intelligence and cameras. And in China, for example, trials are underway to introduce intercity air taxis. This allows to reduce travelling time from several hours to 40-60 minutes.

In the US, virtual reality is actively used to train pilots. With the help of VR-headsets future pilots can train in a realistic aircraft cockpit, which significantly reduces the cost and time of training.

Dmitry Mun also noted that he would recommend Kazakhstani airlines to consider introducing the Internet on board airliners.

In addition, he drew attention to the need to develop legislation regulating aerotaxi flights, including safety standards, licensing of pilots and liability in case of accidents.

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By Presidential order, Government to strengthen requirements to ensure industrial safety

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