During his working trip to the Karaganda region, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a national seminar-meeting titled “The Future of Single-Industry Towns: Positive Experience and Sustainable Development.” The meeting brought together regional and single-industry town akims, leaders of industrial enterprises, and representatives of the expert community.
New approaches to developing single-industry towns were discussed, taking into account the President’s directives.
Reports were presented by Vice Ministers of National Economy Bauyrzhan Omarbekov and of Industry and Construction Olzhas Saparbekov, as well as by the Akim of Karaganda Region Yermaganbet Bulekpaev and the Akim of Ekibastuz Ayan Beysekin.
Kazakhstan currently has 20 single-industry towns with a population of around 1.5 million people. According to the Ministry of National Economy, these towns account for more than one-third of total industrial output – reaching 36.4% by the end of 2024.
As part of the implementation of the President’s 2024 Address to the Nation on economic diversification in single-industry towns, a socio-economic analysis was conducted based on 78 indicators. Positive practices from the city of Saran – which exited single-industry town status thanks to the creation of an industrial zone and access to preferential loans – were considered. As a result, towns were classified into three groups, each with tailored priority measures. These include modernization of engineering and social infrastructure, identification of new growth drivers, investment projects in IT, agriculture, tourism, and science, development of service industries along transport corridors, and the creation of industrial and small industrial zones. Special attention was given to the continued development of long-term contracts and offtake agreements with domestic producers to ensure sustainable production loads.
The Prime Minister highlighted the steady growth and diversification of Ekibastuz’s economy, pointing to the launch of a ferroalloy plant worth 138.4 billion tenge creating over 800 jobs, and the establishment of an industrial zone.
“We must view single-industry towns as growth points and hubs for new opportunities – whether in green technologies, digital infrastructure, or the creative economy. These towns can and should become examples of how the industry of the future is built in small cities. We must prioritize diversification. This will help raise their economies to the point that they no longer qualify as single-industry towns.
For instance, Ekibastuz is currently transforming into a multi-sector city with a more diverse economic structure, making its single-industry status increasingly irrelevant. We need to intensify efforts to establish new infrastructure policies in line with modern standards,” Olzhas Bektenov said.
He also emphasized that the creation of jobs and favorable conditions for entrepreneurs and investors is key to sustainable development.
“The greatest challenge is to attract investors to single-industry towns.
We can build hospitals, schools, stadiums, and other social facilities in every city, but without jobs, people won’t stay. Therefore, we must offer investors the necessary conditions – vacant buildings, land plots, and support for new production facilities. Without such tools, development will stall. We see results in Saran, Ekibastuz, and other cities – but we need to work more actively in this direction,” Bektenov said.
He noted the importance of using additional local tools to support businesses, highlighting the role of social-entrepreneurial corporations (SECs) and their involvement in export-oriented initiatives.
To ensure systemic transformation, the Prime Minister issued a series of concrete directives. By December 1 of this year, the akimats of Karaganda and Atyrau regions must accelerate the creation of industrial zones in Balkhash and Kulsary, while the Ulytau and Aktobe regions must advance similar efforts in Satpayev and Khromtau.
Together with the Ministry of Industry and Construction, regional akimats are tasked with identifying ready-made production sites for the small industrial zones program in single-industry towns by October 1.
The Samruk-Kazyna Fund and Baiterek Holding, in cooperation with regional akimats, are instructed to scale up long-term contracts and offtake agreements in single-industry towns by December 1, particularly within the National Project for Modernizing the Energy and Utilities Sectors.
The Ministries of National Economy, Digital Development, Agriculture, Tourism and Sports, Science and Higher Education, along with regional akimats, are to develop proposals for identifying new economic growth drivers based on specific investment projects by December 1.
Additionally, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, together with akimats, must address the shortage of technical specialists in single-industry towns by October 1.
The Ministry of Transport, along with regional akimats and KazAvtoZhol, must propose by October 1 initiatives for developing service industries near single-industry towns located along major transport corridors.
By the press service of Kazakh PM
