Articles by Aigerim Bulambayeva

ASTANA – Aspiring young social entrepreneur Rakhima Mukusheva holds knitting classes in Astana, with the goal of helping her students master new skills, socialise and take baby steps into entrepreneurship upon the completion of the classes. Although Mukusheva has established knitting classes and launched a promising social project, she sees herself above all as a…

ASTANA – Bill Ruh, CEO of GE Digital and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of GE, lectured at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business Nov. 14 about the changes in the industrial due to the digital transformation and his company’s solution to the challenge. As part of his first visit to Kazakhstan, and the Commonwealth of…

ASTANA – The life and works of Kazakhstan’s most famous poet were celebrated Oct. 29 as the Abai Social Trust Foundation held its fifth annual Abai Keshi (Abai’s Evening) charity gala dinner in Atyrau. Approximately 170 guests, including entrepreneurs, artists and sportsmen from different parts of the country, were in attendance. The event began with an exhibition…

ASTANA – Kazakh Vice Minister of Labour and Social Security Svetlana Zhakupova recently explained the upcoming changes in the country’s pension system. Solidarity pension will rise by 8 percent and basic pensions, as well as other types of benefits, by 6 percent. The increases will change the methodology of assigning basic pensions. All citizens currently…

ASTANA – Members of the Japanese Cultural Mission visited Astana Nov. 3-7 as part of a larger project commemorating 25 years of diplomatic and cultural relations between Kazakhstan and Japan. Led by Japan Foundation President Hiroyasu Ando, who works towards achieving cultural exchanges with countries throughout the world, the mission included prominent Japanese journalist Nobuhiko…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov spoke about the current state of private-public partnerships (PPP) and resulting policy measures during the Nov. 7 government meeting. He presented statistics indicating 116 contracts worth 139.5 billion tenge (US$418.6 million) have been concluded in compliance with PPP mechanisms, 53 of which worth 70 billion tenge…

ASTANA – Founded as a small fishing village, Atyrau has developed into one of Kazakhstan’s biggest industrial cities and is now known as an oil capital of the country. History Atyrau was established on the shores of the Yaik River, renamed the Ural by Russian Empress Catherine the Great after the Pugachev Rebellion. The change…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan was ranked 36th on the Doing Business 2018 report released Oct. 31, one point lower compared with last year’s ranking. In separate instances, however, it showed definite progress. Although Kazakhstan’s overall rating dropped from its record high last year, the country was rated first among the 190 countries considered in “Protecting Minority…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree Oct. 26 to change the existing Kazakh alphabet to Latin-based script. The corresponding document was published Oct. 27 on the Akorda website. “In order to ensure the transition of the Kazakh alphabet from Cyrillic letters to Latin ones, I decree to approve the attached alphabet of…

ASTANA – The World Bank marked International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Oct. 27 with the storytelling event “Talking for Change.” A number of compassionate speakers shared their personal experiences and life stories and described how those actions changed their way of thinking and improved the lives of others. They focused the audience’s attention…

ASTANA – The popularity of cryptocurrencies, and the scepticism around them, are, paradoxically, on the rise. In an interview with The Astana Times, Nazarbayev University School of Business Dean Dr. Patrick Duparcq spoke about the scrutiny around cryptocurrency and its future in Kazakhstan and throughout the world. Duparcq is a recognised technology strategist and visionary…

ASTANA – The international forum “Kazakhstan’s Way to Space: Realities and Prospects-2017,” held Oct. 19 in the capital, commemorated 60 years since the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. Organised by the Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry, the forum’s goals included exchanging best practices to use space activity results in solving economic problems,…

ASTANA – Kazakh farmers harvested 21.9 million tonnes of grain this year for a yield of 14.3 quintals per hectare. The harvesting area increased by 1.1 billion hectares compared to 2016, said First Vice Minister of Agriculture Kairat Aituganov at an Oct. 23 government meeting. He also noted that the proportion of third class wheat…

ASTANA – To raise awareness of the sacred and cultural sites of the Zhetysu region – and the tourism potential they represent – an expedition travelled one by one to the significant sites in the region between Sept. 18 and Sept. 23. “[T]he rector of Zhetysu State University Kuat Baimyrzayev proposed to organise a joint…

ASTANA – The Kazakh stock exchange KASE will present startups to potential investors in early 2018, said Yevgenyi Mukhamedzhanov, managing director of the stock exchange. Mukhamedzhanov added that KASE will adopt the practice of other exchanges to create an information system to bring together entrepreneurs, business incubators and investors. “There are investors who are ready…

ASTANA – Taldykorgan, the administrative capital of Almaty Region, is a city on the rise. Individuals representing nearly 70 different nationalities and ethnicities live in peace and harmony and its rich history and bright future make it an interesting location for residents and visitors. Originally a hamlet inhabited by Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, Taldykorgan was…

ASTANA – Kazakh goods are being exported to 110 countries, said Minister for Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek during Nur Otan party hearings on realising the government programme for industrial development. “As of today, Kazakh products of the manufacturing industry are being exported to 110 countries and new commodity markets have opened for some of…

ASTANA – Kazakh manufacturer Zhamal-ai has been making footwear for more than 20 years. Company director Zibira Khassanova recently spoke about the obstacles faced by the country’s producers, limitations on the domestic shoemaking industry and the firm’s plans for the future. Zhamal-ai strives to create high-quality leather products at reasonable prices, she said, noting domestically…

ASTANA – Talan Towers Offices, an A-class business centre built as part of the multifunctional Talan Towers complex, was presented Sept. 28 in the capital. It is a pioneer in green technology construction among the city’s business centres, as it was built in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) international standards. The…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Parliament approved Sept. 26 the list of state functions to be privatised, resulting from the revision of the draft law “On amendments and additions to certain legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on transferring state functions to a competitive environment” on Sept. 26. The preliminary list of functions was submitted…

ASTANA – The draft of the Latin-based Kazakh alphabet presented in September resulted in heated discussions and a number of questions among Kazakh people. Uli Schamiloglu, a professor and chair of the Department of Kazakh Language at Nazarbayev University, addressed some of those questions and discussed the process of switching the alphabet as part of…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev posted a video on his Facebook page Sept. 20 outlining the fundamental changes among the information and communications bill’s 200 proposed amendments. “In this video, I explained some norms of the bill in the field of information and communications brought for Parliament’s consideration this summer,”…

ASTANA – Representatives from the USAID analytical centre and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) met in the Kazakh capital Sept. 10 to address the problems faced by migrants in Central Asia. The main agenda item presented the results of a migrants’ vulnerability assessment, as well as the findings of counteraction to extreme radicalisation in the…

ALMATY – The annual festival AlmaFest, which attracts approximately 200,000 people annually, took place Sept. 17 in Almaty. The festival was part of Almaty Day, the city’s birthday celebration, and included an award for honorary Almaty citizen. Almaty Akim (Mayor) Bauyrzhan Baibek told the gathering that Almaty is a cultural, scientific, educational, athletic, financial and…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev shared the future plans for the EXPO 2017 site during the event’s Sept. 10 closing ceremony. “Nur Alem and a number of other pavilions will be preserved as expo heritage. The completion of the exhibition will be the foundation for launching several new large-scale projects,” said Nazarbayev. The Astana…