ASTANA ( WNAM MONITORING): Kazakhstan concluded more than 100 investment contracts totaling approximately three trillion tenge (US$5.8 billion) last year, First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said during an investment forum on Feb. 7 in Astana.
According to Sklyar, Kazakhstan ranks among the world’s top 50 leaders in foreign direct investment (FDI) and attracts over 60% of all investments in Central Asia. The government aims to double the national economy to $450 billion by 2029 and has adopted an investment policy to secure at least $150 billion in FDI.
Kazakhstan’s Investment Headquarters reviewed 115 projects worth $50 billion. In 2024, the country signed seven investment agreements totaling $2.5 billion, and six more agreements worth over $2 billion have already been approved in 2025.
Key investors include Qatar, which plans to invest $18 billion, as well as Germany, China, South Korea, the United States, Russia, Belgium, and other European countries.
The extraction of minerals and rare earth metals remains one of the most popular sectors for investment, alongside logistics, with the Europe-China corridor handling over one million tons of cargo. The processing industry is also drawing interest.
Kazakhstan’s car manufacturing sector is also growing, with new KIA and Skoda plants in Kostanai and a CLAAS agricultural machinery assembly plant in Petropavl. A French company has started producing and exporting railway locomotives, while foreign investors are showing interest in agriculture, particularly in grain deep processing.
