Articles by Ainur Seidakhmetova

UMAY Boost business education programme develops women entrepreneurs’ skills, vision

NUR-SULTAN – The first round of the UMAY Boost business education project to increase the practical skills and knowledge of Kazakhstan’s women entrepreneurs has concluded. The Nur-Sultan course offered professional training and life-coaching sessions with the goal of building specific capabilities, but also transforming and widening the business vision of participants, inspiring them to build…

Kazakhstan celebrates International Yoga Day 

NUR-SULTAN – The fifth International Day of Yoga was marked across Kazakhstan from June 15 to 23 with events organised by the embassy of India and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre. All events were free and open to the public. The celebrations started with an inaugural ceremony held at Yoga Park in Nur-Sultan June 15.…

Laili – Majnun,’ tragic Persian love story, premieres at Astana Kazakh Drama Theatre

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Kazakh Drama Theatre recently premiered “Laili – Majnun,” the 12th-century love story based on real life events. The tale of young people’s pure love and affection, popular in Middle Eastern countries, was captured in a poem by Nizami and praised by famous poets Fizuli, Navoi and Rudaki. Kazakh poet Shakarim Kudaiberdyuly…

Kazakh small, medium businesses embrace digitisation and automation

NUR-SULTAN – Economic studies show small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) will be the main drivers of national economies in the coming years. While digital transformation and automation is on everyone’s lips, the topic is not usually addressed regarding SMEs and the implementation speed in this sector has been lagging. The Astana Times talked to Lyaila…

GreenTal Workshop combines empathy, entrepreneurship to help the socially vulnerable

NUR-SULTAN – GreenTal Workshop, which opened in 2015 as a social project, employs individuals from socially vulnerable groups. Founder Emin Askerov works to popularise social entrepreneurship ideas in Kazakhstan and shares his experience with students in his social entrepreneurship school. “I worked at Nazarbayev University. I had a good position, high salary and excellent working…

One of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces promotes home-grown style of mixed martial arts

NUR-SULTAN – Sergey An, the founder of Nomad MMA (Kazakh national martial arts), has been popularising the group worldwide for nearly 17 years with significant results. Eighteen countries have joined the federation and Nomad MMA tournaments have been organised in Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan. “Since last year, China, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan have joined our…

Astana Kazakh Drama theatre premieres Abai Jan

NUR-SULTAN – Astana Kazakh Drama Theatre recently staged “Abai Jan,” a one-person show starring Nurken Oteuil. Directed by Farkhad Moldagali, the play tracks a young man reflecting and trying to find answers to existential questions. The monologues, composed of Abai Kunanbayev’s poetry and prose, mirror today’s reality and strike a chord with spectators. Kunanbayev, known…

One of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces funds Aktobe region social projects

ASTANA – Kairat Maitekov, director of a distillery based in Aktobe, is one of the region’s prominent business people. He makes a significant contribution to regional development by funding social projects. In 2016, Maitekov sponsored renovations in Aktobe School No.3, where he graduated in 1991. “This idea came to me after the meeting with the…

Astana coworking develops, offers different solutions

ASTANA – Although a novelty several years ago, the coworking culture seems to be gaining popularity within the city’s business community. Coworking sites in the capital offer a similar core product – a membership-based workspace and unique concepts, each with certain amenities that differentiate them from their competitors. Multispace is a pioneer among the city’s…

Tomotherapy Centre opens in Astana with innovative approaches in cancer treatment

ASTANA – The city’s Tomotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Centre began receiving and consulting patients this month. The centre uses the most innovative radiation therapy to treat different types of cancer. “We bought two tomotherapy machines to install in our centre. Both of them are the latest models available on the market. This technology is absolutely…

One of Kazakhstan’s 100 new faces trains young sportspeople in rural area

ASTANA – Almas Beissenov, an 18-time winner of the Kazakhstan Athletics Championship, is sharing his experience with young athletes. He works as a coach at a sports school in a North Kazakhstan village, achieving great results despite severe weather conditions and lack of training facilities. “We have many talented athletes here, but I am especially…

One of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces promotes Paralympics sports

ASTANA – Although blind in one eye, Kuralbai Orynbassaruly has achieved excellent results in sambo and judo without any concession to his vision impairment. Following his first and only experience in the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, he has focused on popularising sporting opportunities for Kazakh individuals with disabilities. “I lost my eye when I…