Articles by Zhanna Shayakhmetova

ASTANA – What are the benefits and challenges of running your own business? How do you find the way to your customers’ hearts? The Astana Times interviewed Shynara Bakisheva, owner of Fresh Artisan Bread (FAB) Bakery, to learn about her company and the perfect dough recipe. Started in early 2017 in Newcastle, England, FAB Bakery…

ASTANA – China National Machinery Import and Export will invest $1.1 billion to develop an automotive cluster in cooperation with the Kostanai-based Allure Group Company. The agreement was inked at the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council in Beijing in early June, during the visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazabayev to the city. New investment in Kostanai includes…

ASTANA – Opening United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) partnership and liaison offices in the capital and Almaty will attract at least $20 million a year, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Umirzak Shukeyev. The Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) approved the draft law “On ratification of the agreement between the Kazakh…

ASTANA – The Zhambyl region tourism development map, which authorities expect will increase the flow of visitors up to 120,000 a year and promote job growth and tax revenue, was presented June 11, reported the regional press service. The programme includes four directions of industry input – state support, infrastructure development and implementing investment projects…

ASTANA – The North Kazakhstan regional government plans to develop camping and caravan tourism in the area, reports the regional akimat’s press service. Locations for caravannings have been found at the Turpan recreation centre near the Lake Shalkar. It is planned to equip the parking lot with utilities and a tent site. “We should create…

ASTANA – Eight investment projects estimated at 16.9 billion tenge (US$51.1 million) will be launched this year in the Zhambyl region, according to the regional industrial-innovative development department. The initiatives will create 947 new jobs. “Overall, 36 investment projects worth a total of 584.2 billion tenge (US$1.7 billion) are being implemented in the Zhambyl region…

ASTANA – In 2018, 811 students graduated from Nazarbayev University, as more than 140,000 students are graduating from high schools nationwide. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev attended the June 1 commencement ceremony of his namesake university and congratulated students on the day of the fourth graduation of the young institution. “Today, 1,800 graduates of the university…

ASTANA – An accountant by occupation, the true calling of Assemgul Urazayeva, one of the Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces, is in charity and the social sphere. She promotes family values and importance of family as a basic unit of society. As a head of the International Association of Women in Central Asia, Urazayeva is a…

ASTANA – A waste-processing plant using French technology will be launched in 2019 through a public-private partnership, part of Astana’s major push toward establishing a comprehensive separate waste collection system, Akim (Mayor) of Astana Asset Issekeshev told a May 31 press conference on coming improvements to the capital. “The plant was presented at EXPO 2017,”…

ASTANA – Drugoi Ty (Another You), Kazakhstan’s 21-day national sports challenge, will kick off June 4. The campaign, sponsored by the Samruk Kazyna Trust Social Development Foundation, has the mission to support a healthy lifestyle and promote physical activity. The event comes on the heels of the initiative held May 26 in Daulet Sports Complex…

ASTANA – Eight routes to sacred sites were approved as part of the Ruhani Zhangyru (Modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Identity) programme in the Akmola region, according to Kazinform. The project aims to develop a tourist cluster and increase the number of visitors up to three million per year. Approximately 80 select routes implemented by local tour…

ASTANA – Astana’s Confucius Institute will present Capitals of the Silk Road, a photo exhibition July 2-3 in cooperation with the international organisation Expo & Women. The event is part of the Global Silk Road Forum and Silk Road Mayors’ Forum. Institute head Saule Koshanova spoke about the exhibit, the organisation’s activities and new approaches…

ASTANA – To preserve Kazakhstan’s way, the unique model of interethnic and interdenominational harmony the country enjoys, it is crucial to strengthen traditions of friendship and brotherly love preached by traditional religions, Gennadius, bishop of Kaskelen and manager of affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan told The Astana Times. As of the first…

ASTANA – The first solar power plant with a 2-megawatt (3,500-kilowatt hour) annual capacity opened May 1 in Mangistau, reported the regional press service. The new facility, with more than 8,000 locally-produced solar panels, will provide electricity to approximately 300 buildings. Situated on 36.05 hectares in Batyr village of the Munaily district, the 1.2 billion…

ASTANA – An exhibition dedicated to the Smurfs’ 60th anniversary was held at the capital’s School Children’s Palace April 26-28 as part of the Francophonie Spring Festival. The event was organised by the Belgian Embassy with the support of the Alliance Française offices in the city and Almaty. Belgium was proud to arrange the festivities,…

ASTANA – A national medical equipment database will be created as part of the Densaulyk (Health) development programme, reported Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov at the April 24 government meeting. The database will increase transparency in planning and procuring medical equipment. Marginal costs will be calculated based on the documents submitted by the customer (Exworks…

ASTANA – Almaty-based Neupusti.net online work database for youth recently launched the Silk Way Start-ups competition for Uzbek youth as part of the South-South Youth Leadership Initiative in advancing Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Maxim Kim from Andijan with the Edunow project, the Uzbek analogue of Neupusti.net, won the final stage of the competition held April…

ASTANA – The School for All is planning to expand by opening a new office in the capital to welcome more children of all abilities. Set up two years ago by Nazarbayev University (NU) student Kamila Rollan, the social enterprise has the mission of including children with special needs into regular classrooms. How it started…

ASTANA – Labour and Social Protection Minister Madina Abylkassymova reported that 607,000 out of 2.7 million people had formalised their employment status since the beginning of the year at an April 17 government meeting. Approximately 197,000 employees concluded employment contracts and began making mandatory pension contributions, and 12,000 individuals registered their entrepreneurial activities. The regions…

ASTANA – AgroCredit will provide more support to develop intensive gardening nationwide, according to an announcement at the Apple Day: How to Transform Apples into Profits and Smiles seminar held April 7 in Almaty. The session was aimed at increasing horticulture productivity, bringing competitive advantages to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe and…

ASTANA – Twenty projects worth 50 billion tenge (US$151 million) and creating 2,700 jobs will be implemented in the South Kazakhstan region, reported akim (governor) Zhanseit Tuimebayev at an April 9 meeting of the Chamber of Entrepreneurs Council. Approximately 129.4 billion tenge (US$392 million), 2.4 times more than in 2016, will be invested in manufacturing.…

ASTANA – A Kazakh pavilion highlighting the country’s investment opportunities was presented at the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) held April 9-11 in Dubai, reported the Kazakh Invest press service. “Kazakhstan and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) have a very long history of relations. Moreover, we are very glad to meet the Kazakh delegation this year…

ASTANA – Olia Breininger’s debut book “There Was No Adderall in the Soviet Union,” released by AST in 2017, became a huge success. The publisher and critics called the work “a generation-defining novel.” The Astana Times interviewed Breininger to learn about the book and what inspired her creativity. “I was born and grew up in…

ASTANA – The share of investments in manufacturing has increased almost three-fold since Kazakhstan initiated the state programme on industrialisation, reaching approximately 24 percent of foreign direct investments since 2006. The indicator was previously 8-8.5 percent, said Investment Committee Chairman Yerlan Khairov in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times. “The head of state set…

ASTANA – About 70,000 teachers participated in the qualification upgrading courses as part of the 2017 state programme to develop education and science, said Minister of Education and Science Yerlan Sagadiyev at an April 3 government meeting. Last year, 849 pre-schools, 717 of which are private, were opened to accommodate 64,400 children. As a result,…