President outlines key priorities for Kazakhstan’s development in 2026
Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has shared his vision for the country’s development in 2026 in an extensive interview with Turkistan newspaper, Qazinform News Agency reports.
As I have said, the year ahead will be challenging. A new stage of large-scale political transformation begins, and economic reforms will be advanced. The modernization of the country must become truly irreversible, fundamentally changing the essence and image of our society. Citizens will need to adapt to the realities of a new era. This is not an easy task, but I am convinced that our people, especially the youth, are capable of doing it," the President said.
Tokayev reminded that 2026 has been declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.
This is a historic opportunity for our country. Digital transformation and the introduction of artificial intelligence open new prospects for the economy and many other areas of life - from public administration to education and healthcare," he said.
The President also highlighted the upcoming 35th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence.
Thirty-five years of Independence is a landmark date. It is a reason to critically evaluate the path we have taken and to develop new plans. It is important not to turn the anniversary into a mere festive campaign. It must become a symbol of Kazakhstan’s progress," he emphasized.
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Askar Mustabekov named new Deputy Defense Minister
Images | gov.kz
By the Head of State's order, Askar Mustabekov has been appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Qazinform News Agency cites the Akorda press service.
He was relieved of his previous post.
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Olzhas Bektenov Instructs to Review Funding Mechanisms for Private Educational and Medical Institutions
Images | primeminister.kz
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on reforming the system of state financing for private educational and medical organizations as part of the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State given in the programmatic interview "Kazakhstan Has Entered a New Stage of Modernization", primeminister.kz reports.
The Head of Government tasked the Ministries of Education, Healthcare, and Finance with eliminating imbalances in the per-capita funding system. It was noted that the state assumes obligations to provide high-quality and accessible educational services, and in cases where public institutions are overcrowded, per-capita funding is allocated for education in private institutions. At the same time, instances of abuse have been recorded, where an artificial transfer of students and teachers is formed in order to increase the volume of subsidies received. This negatively affects the quality of education as well as the rational use of public funds.
Attention was also focused on private institutions with high tuition fees. The Prime Minister emphasized that the state budget should not be used to finance so-called "elite" schools with a high level of parental payments that allow them to fully ensure the educational process on their own.
Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev reported on the ongoing work to transition to a new mechanism for placing state educational orders in private schools. In order to address problematic issues, the processes of financing private schools have been digitized-from the conclusion of contracts to payment for services. As of January 6 of the current year, according to the OrtaBilim service, contracts for financing have been concluded on the e-Qazyna.kz web portal with 789 private schools (845 schools in 2025) for a total amount of 78.7 billion tenge. A total of 206 institutions previously receiving funding did not meet the established requirements. Cases of inflated reporting and double counting of students and teachers, exceeding permissible design capacity, and other violations were identified. The audit revealed the following preliminary results:
- abnormal movements of 1,333 students with transfers from one school to another ranging from 5 to 12 times;
- in 64 private schools, the actual number of students exceeds the approved design capacity by more than two times;
- for 2024, income was not reflected in tax reporting by 167 private schools.
Territorial Departments of Internal State Audit issued notification letters, as a result of which schools paid taxes totaling 1.2 billion tenge. As of today, counter audits are being conducted in 46 schools.
The next stage of work will be the digitization of public schools (6,887 schools), kindergartens, and universities. This will ensure transparency of the entire cycle of financing educational services provided at the expense of the budget.
During the meeting, the issue of revising approaches to licensing the activities of private educational organizations was also raised. In order to streamline the provision of medical services by private organizations, a government working group, taking into account citizens’ appeals, is analyzing the assets of the Social Health Insurance Fund. Based on the results, measures will also be taken to further improve the effectiveness of the Fund.
Following the meeting, the Ministries of Education, Healthcare, and Finance were instructed to submit specific proposals to address the identified issues within one week. Coordination of this work has been assigned to Deputy Prime Minister Aida Balayeva.
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Kazakh President signs order declaring 2026 as Year of Digitalization and AI
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Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed on Tuesday an executive order declaring the year 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, Qazinform News Agency reports via the press service of the Akorda.
The order states that the Kazakh Government should take necessary measures for the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, while Presidential Administration will be responsible for the order’s implementation.
The order takes effect on the day of its signing.
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Universal Access to High-Speed Internet Will Be Ensured Across Kazakhstan
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At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev reported on the current state and future prospects of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation, primeminister.kz reports.
As part of the implementation of the President’s instructions to transition to a fully digital country, work is being carried out across six key areas: infrastructure development, cybersecurity, support for the IT industry, GovTech, the digital economy, and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies.
The head of the ministry reported that in the current and coming years, more than 3,000 villages will be provided with high-speed internet via fiber-optic lines. This will make it possible to cover 99% of the country’s population.
- "Last-mile" project: fiber-optic connections are planned to be brought directly to 400,000 households, improving connectivity for 2.5 million people.
- 5G networks: the technology is already available in 20 cities. The task has been set to expand coverage to 75% of the territory of these megacities.
- Transport corridors: over the next two years, mobile communications will cover 40,000 km of national and regional roads.
- Satellite internet: in addition to the three current operators, the entry of two foreign companies is expected. Internet access will appear on Kazakhstan Temir Zholy trains and on Air Astana aircraft.
- Zhaslan Madiyev emphasized that akimats must promptly allocate land plots and ensure access to power grids. Regions have also been granted authority to monitor the quality of communications and impose fines on operators.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted Kazakhstan’s strategic role in the transit of internet traffic between Europe and Asia.
- By the end of the current year, construction of a fiber-optic cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan is planned to be completed.
- On the basis of a domestic facility, the production of 5-6 Earth remote sensing satellites is planned.
- For the first time in the country’s history, exports of high-tech services in the space sector amounting to USD 75 million are expected.
- In the field of cybersecurity, Zhaslan Madiyev focused on strengthening the responsibility of heads of government bodies. Audit results revealed that government institutions often violate information security requirements. The minister reminded that first heads bear personal responsibility for leaks of citizens’ personal data and called for stricter oversight in this area.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the IT market is demonstrating rapid growth:
- Industry revenues: expected to reach 2 trillion tenge for the past year.
- Service exports: Kazakhstan intends to reach USD 1 billion by the end of 2025, fulfilling the President’s instruction ahead of schedule.
- Astana Hub: the number of participants has reached 2,000 companies, a quarter of which are foreign. Startups have attracted more than USD 900 million in investment.
- Venture capital: a fund of funds with a target capital of USD 1 billion has been created to support late-stage startups.
In accordance with the Presidential Decree, from this year the development of government information systems outside the QazTech platform is prohibited.
- A technical audit of all systems is underway to migrate them to the unified platform.
- eGov: 91% of services are available online. An AI assistant for citizens has been introduced.
- Social Wallet: the service will be scaled to cover 10 government support measures.
- Digital offices: Public Service Centers (CSCs) are being transformed into modern digital self-service spaces (Apple Store format).
Zhaslan Madiyev also reported on the implementation of the "AI Movement" initiative, under which nearly 1 million people have been trained.
- Two powerful supercomputers have been launched to serve the needs of science and business.
- The multi-agent platform AlemGPT has been developed.
- An International AI Center, alem.ai, has been established, and by Presidential instruction a concept for a specialized AI university is being developed.
- Legislative framework: the Law on Artificial Intelligence has been signed, and the Digital Code has been submitted to the Head of State for consideration.
The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that 2026 has been declared by the President as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. In the near future, the Government will approve a corresponding plan of large-scale international events, including the GITEX Central Asia forum.
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Reconstruction of Pavlodar Airport will be financed using recovered assets
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As part of the implementation of the Head of State’s instructions and the Concept for the Development of the Transport and Logistics Potential of the Republic of Kazakhstan, modernization of Pavlodar Airport is set to begin in Pavlodar Region. The project provides for the reconstruction of the artificial runway, taxiway, and apron, primeminister.kz reports.
The project will be financed through the Special State Fund. The Government has allocated 9.3 billion tenge for these purposes.
Implementation of the project will make it possible to receive modern types of aircraft without restrictions on takeoff weight. Given Pavlodar’s geographical location, this will enhance the region’s transit potential. It is expected that the upgraded infrastructure will also contribute to an increase in passenger traffic, improved transport accessibility of the region, and the development of business activity.
The key objective of the project is to bring the airport’s parameters into compliance with the requirements of international ICAO standards.
The main types of planned work include:
- Reconstruction and widening of the runway from 45 to 60 meters;
- Renewal of the pavement of the taxiway and apron;
- Modernization of the power supply system;
- Installation of new airfield lighting equipment and a perimeter video surveillance system.
Due to the need to carry out repair works and ensure flight safety, the airport’s operations have been temporarily suspended since April of last year. Prior to this, the air harbor serviced regular flights to Astana and Almaty.
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More Than 11,000 km of Roads to Be Built and Repaired in Kazakhstan in 2026
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As part of the implementation of the Head of State’s instructions, Kazakhstan continues the systematic development of road infrastructure aimed at improving regional connectivity, road safety, and the quality of life of the population. Plans for 2026 were presented by Vice Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Maksat Kaliakparov, primeminister.kz reports.
In 2026, all types of road works are planned to cover approximately 11,000 kilometers of automobile roads.
Of this total:
- 2.3 thousand km - construction and reconstruction;
- 5 thousand km - major and medium repairs;
- about 4 thousand km - development of the local road network.
Among the priority projects for 2026 is the continuation of construction and reconstruction of major road corridors. In particular, works will continue on the Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan highway with a length of 208 km within the territory of Ulytau Region.
It is also planned to implement the "Center - West" project with a total length of 896 km, as well as projects in the following directions: Aktobe - Ulgaisyn (232 km) and Karaganda - Zhezkazgan (572 km), among others.
In 2026, within the framework of the Head of State’s instructions, the implementation of a number of large projects is planned. This concerns the development of our transit and transport potential. Major projects include Aktobe - Ulgaisyn, Karaganda - Zhezkazgan, Beineu - Sekseul, and a very important flagship project - ‘Center - West.’ At present, all planned measures and the necessary feasibility studies have been obtained, the work is proceeding in a routine mode, and the required financial resources have been provided," noted Maksat Kaliakparov.
Special attention will be given to the construction and reconstruction of bypass roads around major populated areas. In particular, projects are planned for bypasses of the cities of Saryagash, Kyzylorda, Petropavlovsk, and Rudny.
Along with this, the development of tourist and cross-border routes will continue, including the road to the Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi resort area, as well as the section Petropavlovsk - border of the Russian Federation.
Within the framework of capital and medium repair projects in 2026, work is planned on the following highways:
- Zhezkazgan - Petropavlovsk,
- Atyrau - Uralsk,
- Zhanaozen - Kendirli,
- Mukur - Kulsary,
- Makinsk - Aksu - Torgai, and others.
For the local road network, projects are envisaged for Aktau - Fort-Shevchenko, Turkestan - Shaulder, Chapay - Saikhin, as well as the continuation of construction of a road bridge in the city of Semey.
In parallel, work is underway to introduce modern digital and technological solutions. Currently, 71 automated weight and dimension control stations have been installed on automobile roads, including:
- 38 on national roads;
- 33 on the local network.
In the future, it is planned to scale up their number to 220 units. Unified technical requirements for their installation and operation have been approved, and integration with the Processing Center "Unified Register of Administrative Proceedings" (ERAP) has been carried out, which allows for the automatic generation of notices regarding violations of weight parameters.
In addition, modernization of automobile border crossing points is underway.
With regard to implementation, we are carrying out modernization of automobile border crossing points. Large-scale work has begun. During 2026-2027, we plan to fully modernize 33 border crossing points and completely complete reconstruction with the possibility of increasing their throughput capacity to 35 million tons by 2030," the Deputy Minister stated.
In 2026, it is planned to commission a unified digital system in the road sector, e-Joldar, the main purpose of which is to consolidate reference data and ensure their openness for public oversight.
We are also carrying out work on digitalization of the road sector. We are planning the implementation of the information system ‘E-Joldar,’ which has now been fully formed: all necessary technical specifications and conditions have been obtained. From next year, data population will begin, which will result in full public access to all necessary documentation, passports, and information on inter-repair intervals. Public oversight will be ensured, and all this information will be made available," he emphasized.
According to the Deputy Minister, 2026 will become an important stage in the development of the country’s road sector, combining large-scale infrastructure projects, modernization of the existing network, and the introduction of modern digital solutions. A comprehensive approach to the construction, repair, and management of automobile roads will not only improve their quality and safety, but also ensure a long-term socio-economic effect, contributing to the sustainable development of regions and strengthening Kazakhstan’s transport framework.
For next year, large-scale work is planned. All tasks and goals set by the Head of State will be fulfilled on time and in full," Maksat Kaliakparov concluded.
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