Kazakhstan Eyes Expansion of Event Tourism, Plans Five Int’l Events This Year
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports seeks to expand the country’s potential in event tourism. This year, Kazakhstan plans to host five major international events, said Nurbol Baizhanov, head of the ministry’s department for the implementation of systemic measures in the tourism sector, at an April 10 briefing in Astana. Over the…
Francophone Spring Marathon Takes Place in Six Cities of Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is hosting the Francophone Spring cultural festival from April 1 to May 31 to promote the French language and Francophone cultures in the country. Events are taking place in Astana, Almaty, Aktobe, Shymkent, Karagandy and Oskemen, reported Central Communications Service (CCS) on April 8. The festival is organised by the Embassies of…
Kazakhstan Seeks to Attract 10,000 AI Specialists Annually
ASTANA- Kazakhstan has been developing artificial intelligence (AI) capacity, and a key element of this strategy is to attract new talent. Kazakhstan aims to attract up to 10,000 AI specialists annually as part of the initiative related to the opening of the Alem.ai international AI center, reports Kazinform. One of the largest AI projects in…
Income Disparities in Kazakhstan Reflect Seasonal and Regional Variations
ASTANA – The poverty rate in Kazakhstan fell to 4.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024, down from 5.1% in the previous quarter, reported the Halyk Finance analytical center on March 27. According to the report, a seasonal trend is influenced by social payments and economic activity. Despite the decline, significant disparities remain between urban…
Kazakhstan Maintains Leadership in Central Asian Venture Market
ASTANA– Kazakhstan continues to strengthen its position as Central Asia’s leading venture capital hub, securing $71 million in investments in 2024, which accounted for 74% of all regional deals, reported RISE Research, a market intelligence and advisory company. Experts analyzed the region’s venture market based on data from over 200 startups and 40 investors. According…
Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Exports Reach 16.1 Mln Tons in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan exported 16.1 million tons of agricultural products worth $5.1 billion in 2024, a 3.9 % increase from the previous year, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on March 19. This was announced at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin. According to Vice Minister of…
Children in Astana Showcase Culinary Traditions, Healthy Eating
ASTANA – Our Dastarkhan (table setting in Kazakh) children’s art competition opened its exhibition at the Al-Farabi Schoolchildren’s Palace in Astana ahead of the Nauryz holiday, awarding ten winners and 11 laureates. More than 150 students from 20 schools participated in the competition, depicting national culinary traditions and promoting healthy eating, reported the press service…
Survey Shows Rising Interest in AI, Digital Skills in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – A recent survey conducted through the eGov mobile application from March 3 to 9 revealed that 79% of respondents are eager to develop artificial intelligence (AI) skills, reported the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry on March 13. More than 53,000 people nationwide participated in the survey, showing that 65% of…
Kazakhstan’s Container Shipments via Trans-Caspian Route Increases 2.7 Times in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s container shipments via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) increased 2.7 times in 2024, reaching 56,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The growth was discussed during a meeting between Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev and William Thompson, head of the Eurasia Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development…
Canadian Company Secures Critical Minerals License in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Canada-based Condor Energies secured a 6,800-hectare critical minerals exploration license, granted for six years, in Kazakhstan, reported Mining Technology on March 10. The new Kolkuduk license is located near Condor Energies’ 37,300-hectare Sayakbay license. Both sites are in a geothermally active, faulted region known for mineral-rich brine reservoirs. Mining Technology cites data from…
Kazakhstan Explores Alternative Energy Opportunities
ASTANA – The development of alternative energy sources in Kazakhstan does not necessitate substantial government investments. Instead, market incentives play a much more important role than funding, reported Kazinform. Energy Supply Association Chair Sergei Agafonov noted that Kazakhstan is only at the beginning of developing alternative energy sources beyond renewables. However, the country is drafting…
Exhibition Showcases Ancient Kazakh Jewelry and Manuscripts
ASTANA – The National Archive of Kazakhstan hosted an exhibition featuring ancient jewelry and historical manuscripts collected by ethnographer Bahargul Tolegenova, reported Kazinform on March 10. The display included artifacts from the 5th to 20th centuries, such as pendants, rings and amulets, highlighting the rich artistic heritage of the Kazakh people. A key exhibit was…
Kazakhstan Showcases KazLLM Language Model at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
ASTANA – Kazakhstan introduced KazLLM, a large language model trained on 150 billion tokens across Kazakh, English, Russian, and Turkish, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona, reported on March 5 the press service of the Digital Development Ministry. The congress was held March 3-6, bringing together global leaders in technology, communications, and…
New Kazakhstan-China Rail Service to Boost Trade with Europe
ASTANA – KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) railway company, in collaboration with China Railway Container Transport (CRCT), has launched a new container rail service linking China and Europe, reported on March 3 the press service of KTZ. The first container train, loaded with television components, departed from Chengdu, China, and headed…
Kazakh GM Kazybek Nogerbek Secures Third Place at Cannes Tournament
ASTANA – Kazakh chess grandmaster (GM) Kazybek Nogerbek claimed third place at the Festival International des Jeux 2025 in Cannes, France, held from Feb. 24-March 2, reported the chess federation. Nogerbek, 20, scored seven points across nine rounds in the tournament’s top category, featuring 147 players, including six GMs. Nogerbek’s victory over fellow Kazakh GM…
Kazakhstan, China to Boost Cargo Transport via Trans-Caspian Route
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China agreed to increase cargo volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), reported on Feb. 26 the press service of the Transport Ministry. This was announced during the meeting between Vice Minister of Transport Maxat Kaliakparov and China’s Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang at the 15th meeting of the…
Kazakhstan, Nigeria Strengthen Ties in Digital Economy and Investment
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Nigeria are enhancing cooperation in digital technology, investment, and business development following a series of meetings between government officials and business leaders, reported on Feb. 26 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov met with Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy Bosun…
Bilateral Trade Turnover Between Kazakhstan and China Reaches $43.8 Billion
ASTANA – The bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and China reached $43.8 billion with a growth of 9% in 2024, reported the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service on Jan. 27. During the meeting between Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Chinese Ambassador Han Chunlin, the officials emphasized diversifying exports, particularly increasing shipments of Kazakh grain to…
AIFC Highlights Triple Growth in Kazakhstan’s Creative Economy Since 2017
ASTANA – The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), in collaboration with Dasco Group, has released a comprehensive review titled Creative Industries in Kazakhstan: Trends and Prospects, reported the AIFC press service on Jan 27. According to the review, Kazakhstan’s creative economy has grown 3.2 times nominally since 2017, but its contribution to gross domestic product…
Kazakhstan Launches AI Model for Language Learning
ASTANA – The Til-Qazyna National Scientific-Practical Center has introduced the AI-powered Tilqazyna model for learning the Kazakh language. The large language model (LLM) can generate text, correct grammar errors, shorten sentences, create paraphrases, and analyze the context, reported the Ministry of Science and Higher Education on Jan 17. It is available to users on the…
Kazakhstan Expands Energy Capacity with Major Additions in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan introduced energy generation power with a total capacity of more than 700 megawatts (MW) in 2024, the Ministry of Energy reported on Dec. 27. Kazakhstan launched several energy projects to enhance its power generation capacity. Among these was the commissioning of Unit No. 1 at the Ekibastuz State Regional Power Plant (GRES-1),…
Kazakh Chess Players Win Record Number of Medals in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakh chess players won a record 160 medals including 55 gold, 54 silver, and 51 bronze last year at official international tournaments of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), reported the Kazakhstan chess federation. One of the year’s highlights was the women’s national team’s silver medal at the…
