Tashkent ( WNAM MONITORING): President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a report on poverty reduction measures, employment initiatives, and investment and export performance.
Since the beginning of the year, Uzbekistan has introduced a new employment assistance system. As part of this initiative, 208 district and city mayors signed cooperation agreements with bank executives. Specialized units have been established in bank branches to work within neighborhoods (mahallas), and a new position, the “mahalla banker,” has been introduced.
Thanks to these measures, 239,000 people were employed in January, and 480,000 in February. Small and medium-sized businesses received 14 trillion soums in loans, including 2 trillion soums allocated under special entrepreneurship programs. The population is being informed about income-generating opportunities, offered ready-made business projects, and provided with training programs. All employment cases are registered with tax authorities, and the implementation of these measures is being regularly monitored.
During the meeting, an analysis of the progress made was presented. The best employment results were recorded in the Jizzakh, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Navoi regions, as well as in projects carried out by the National Bank, Asakabank, Microcreditbank, and the Business Development Bank.
However, Syrdarya region and 24 districts and cities showed unsatisfactory results. As a result, 30 officials who demonstrated low performance have faced appropriate measures.
The President stressed the need to intensify efforts in this area, directing the unemployed toward professional training and ensuring their employment. He instructed that during the spring season, agricultural crops should be planted on all household plots and rented lands, with monitoring conducted through the online-mahalla.uz platform.
Over the past two months, the country has seen positive trends in investment and export activities. Since the start of the year, more than US$6 billion in foreign investments and loans have been attracted, and 1,100 small and medium-sized projects worth US$574 million have been implemented, creating over 17,000 new jobs.
The volume of exports of goods and services reached US$2.8 billion. Notably, jewelry exports increased sevenfold compared to the same period last year, while chemical industry exports grew 1.7 times, electrical and food sector exports increased 1.2 times, and tourism services exports expanded 1.6 times.
International standards have been implemented in 132 enterprises, and 521 companies entered foreign markets for the first time, exporting US$183 million worth of products in February alone.
The meeting also addressed issues related to low investment performance in certain industries and regions, along with potential solutions. During the session, Dilmurod Kasimov was introduced as the new Deputy Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan, who will now oversee the protection of the legal rights and interests of entrepreneurs and investors.
President Mirziyoyev emphasized that prosecutors must play a key role in ensuring a favorable legal environment for business and investment.
Officials presented plans to attract more than US$8 billion in foreign investment by the end of the first quarter, while also exploring additional opportunities to increase exports.
