ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shared the key outcomes of 2024 in an interview with Ana Tili (Mother Tongue) newspaper on Jan. 3.
Exactly one year ago, on Jan. 3, Tokayev gave an interview to Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper, where he outlined an ambitious economic course aimed at achieving a Just and Fair Kazakhstan and doubling the size of the national economy.
“At the beginning of last year, I said in an interview that 2024 would be a defining year for Kazakhstan in many ways. So it has been. By starting systemic and even challenging economic reforms, we have laid a solid foundation for the country’s five-year development. There has been a significant number of completed projects and initiatives in this direction, and there will be even more,” Tokayev said, reflecting on the achievements of 2024.
He emphasized that all regions had modernized their engineering and utility infrastructure, which had once been in a dire condition. Additionally, 18 million square meters of housing were commissioned, and 7,000 kilometers of highways were constructed or repaired. New passenger terminals were opened at the airports in Almaty, Kyzylorda, and Shymkent. Large-scale projects were also carried out in the mining, petrochemical, and metallurgical industries.
“The manufacturing sector has progressed significantly, and its share in the industrial structure is nearly on par with that of the extractive sector. I would particularly like to note the success of our agrarians, who have produced a record-breaking harvest of almost 27 million tons of grain over the last ten years,” said Tokayev.
Social initiatives advanced significantly: the National Fund for Children began its payments, while there were increases in pensions, allowances, scholarships, and civil servant salaries. Hundreds of schools, kindergartens, and fitness centers were built, over ten leading foreign university branches opened, science funding increased, cultural figures gained strong support, and mass sports development was prioritized.
“This represents a significant investment in strengthening the capabilities of citizens,” said Tokayev.
“In general, the past year was far from simple, one could say it was tough. Kazakhstan experienced by the negative impact of external factors, the natural disaster also interfered with our plans. Yet, not only did we manage to hold the situation but also continued the implementation of reforms. Thus, the procreation strategy continued its development,” he said.
Lessons learned from 2024-floods in Kazakhstan
In spring 2024, Kazakhstan was hit by devastating floods forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. In response, the government implemented comprehensive measures to support affected citizens and restore the devastated regions.
“Last year’s floods were a serious test for our country. Such large-scale floods had never happened in Kazakhstan before. But the government was able to respond promptly to the most dangerous situation,” said Tokayev.
The flooding caused widespread destruction, damaging homes, roads, bridges, and social and commercial facilities, while also resulting in the loss of livestock.
“It must be acknowledged that such severe consequences could have been avoided if proper attention had been given in recent decades to building protective dams and other hydraulic structures. We are now working to fix this oversight. The Parliament is reviewing the draft of the new Water Code. A concept and a comprehensive plan for water resources management have been approved. These documents provide for the construction of over 40 new reservoirs and reconstruction of 37 existing reservoirs, as well as modernization of more than 14,000 kilometers of irrigation canals until 2030,” he said.
Large-scale modernization of forecasting and emergency situations prevention systems has begun. To address the shortage of water specialists and strengthen research activities, the Kazakh National University of Water Resources and Irrigation has been established.
“The elimination of the consequences of spring floods has shown the effectiveness of the state. Not a single affected family was left without help and support. Houses were built and apartments were purchased, infrastructure facilities were restored, and losses were compensated to all residents and businessmen affected by high water,” said Tokayev.
In early December last year, Tokayev attended the One Water Summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia and chaired by Kazakhstan and France.
“Speaking at this important event, I highlighted the need to enhance resilience to water-related disasters. Indeed, water security and climate change issues require joint efforts of the international community. This is a priority issue for Kazakhstan,” said Tokayev in the interview.
