Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
News

Kazakhstan set for major construction program after Tokayev’s speech

30 October 2026

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for the construction and renovation of public infrastructure across all regions of Kazakhstan, and proposed declaring 2027 “the Year of Large-scale Construction”.

Delivering his address to the people of Kazakhstan in his “state of the union” address, Tokayev stressed the need to launch construction and renovation projects in regional centers, districts and settlements throughout the country.

Our collective nationwide response to the approaching era of artificial intelligence should be to build — and, once again, to build!, Tokayev emphasized.

According to the President, key priorities include the construction of roads, airports, railway stations and healthcare facilities. Special attention will also be given to rehabilitation centres for children with special needs.

In addition, every region should have creative development centres, sports complexes, libraries and scientific centres. Tokayev also highlighted housing construction as an important priority.

Kazakhstan’s large-scale “People’s Construction” program, announced by the President, will pave the way for major infrastructure development and reforms across all sectors of the economy, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said at a government meeting.

Bektenov stressed the need to develop a clear action plan to implement President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state-of-the-nation address, delivered on October 28.

The Prime Minister said the address sets out the central goal of building a fair, strong, clean and progressive Kazakhstan. Achieving this objective will require making the fullest possible use of the country’s existing potential and the opportunities emerging from modern innovation.

Bektenov highlighted the significance of the “People’s Construction” initiative, describing it as the starting point for major infrastructure transformations and comprehensive reforms throughout the economy.

“This large-scale project will provide significant momentum for employment growth and improving citizens’ well-being. This address is the most substantive policy document for the near future. We must have a clear action plan for its implementation”, he said.

Kazakhstan also plans to build nearly 70 new healthcare facilities across the country, according to the Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova speaking at a Government's meeting.

According to Alnazarova, the Ministry has begun assessing the need for new healthcare facilities across the country, taking into account regional healthcare needs, demographic trends, and efficiency criteria.

The plans include eight modern perinatal centers with a combined capacity of 1,700 beds in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Karaganda, Kaskelen, Kyzylorda, and Oral.

Another seven multidisciplinary children's hospitals, providing a total of 1,550 beds, are planned in Atyrau, Aktobe, Almaty, Shymkent, Kaskelen, Semey, and Aktau.

Astana will also see the construction of a 200-bed pediatric emergency care center and a 350-bed pediatric surgery center.

The projects are designed to expand healthcare services for children and improve access to specialized and advanced medical care nationwide.

Five interregional branches of the National Children's Rehabilitation Center, with a total capacity of 750 beds, are also planned in Almaty, Aktau, Atyrau, Kyzylorda, and Semey.

The plans also include 300-bed multidisciplinary hospitals in East Kazakhstan, Abai, and Turkistan regions, as well as a 325-bed infectious diseases hospital and additional specialized medical facilities in Zhambyl region.

Other planned facilities include 25 outpatient clinics, district hospitals, emergency medical service facilities, blood centers, and specialized healthcare institutions.

Overall, the projects are expected to add or modernize approximately 1.8 million square meters of healthcare infrastructure, expand and upgrade hospital capacity by 9,200 beds, and increase outpatient care capacity by more than 5,300 patient visits per shift.

Latest

Editor's choice
News
Kazakhstan set for major construction program after Tokayev’s speech
Trending

Kazakhstan set for major construction program after Tokayev’s speech

30 October 2026
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for the construction and renovation of public infrastructure across all regions of Kazakhstan, and proposed declaring 2027 “the Year of Large-scale Construction”. Delivering his address to the people of Kazakhstan in his “state of the union” address, Tokayev stressed the need to launch construction and renovation projects in regional centers, districts and settlements throughout the country. Our collective nationwide response to the approaching era of artificial intelligence should be to build — and, once again, to build!, Tokayev emphasized. According to the President, key priorities include the construction of roads, airports, railway stations and healthcare facilities. Special attention will also be given to rehabilitation centres for children with special needs. In addition, every region should have creative development centres, sports complexes, libraries and scientific centres. Tokayev also highlighted housing construction as an important priority. Kazakhstan’s large-scale “People’s Construction” program, announced by the President, will pave the way for major infrastructure development and reforms across all sectors of the economy, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said at a government meeting. Bektenov stressed the need to develop a clear action plan to implement President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state-of-the-nation address, delivered on October 28. The Prime Minister said the address sets out the central goal of building a fair, strong, clean and progressive Kazakhstan. Achieving this objective will require making the fullest possible use of the country’s existing potential and the opportunities emerging from modern innovation. Bektenov highlighted the significance of the “People’s Construction” initiative, describing it as the starting point for major infrastructure transformations and comprehensive reforms throughout the economy. “This large-scale project will provide significant momentum for employment growth and improving citizens’ well-being. This address is the most substantive policy document for the near future. We must have a clear action plan for its implementation”, he said. Kazakhstan also plans to build nearly 70 new healthcare facilities across the country. (click image to read more)

Popular

Editor's choice
Monday Commentary
Monday Commentary: European-Azerbaijan relations need an intensive and multifaceted dialogue that is frank and honest
Trending

Monday Commentary: European-Azerbaijan relations need an intensive and multifaceted dialogue that is frank and honest

7 September 2026
Last week I visited Baku, Azerbaijan. My visit was relatively short, but very intensive, and had many meetings with stakeholders and colleagues. When I arrived in Baku first time in 1996,  Azerbaijan was a different country: weak, poor, and shaken by defeat in war. For thirty year the Karabakh issue dominated the agenda: the political agenda but also the popular mindset. Now, thirty years later, Azerbaijan has returned to Karabakh, and peace with Armenia is on the horizon. It is a new era for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, for the South Caucasus, but also for Europe.  But we cannot be complacent: the Peace agreement has been initialed but not signed; borders remain closed; TRIPP is ambitious but remains an idea; and there are spoilers who want to turn the clock back. We must not allow them, and in this Europe and Azerbaijan must work together. Europe’ vanguard organization is the European Union – it is a free union of 27 member states; it is a strong global economic force, and increasingly a diplomatic and military force too. But it remains “work in progress” and can often appear dysfunctional. It often lacks collective and institutional memory. In its dealings with Azerbaijan the EU has made many mistakes – not least opening the delegation here late – in 2008. It sometimes appears condescending. Some utterances from the European Parliament and from some quarters in some member states are not understandable even for me. They irritate the Azerbaijanis, but serve no other purpose But Azerbaijan has also not handled relations with the EU well. It has failed to respond when the hand of friendship reached out; and it confused irritating actions, sometimes by well-meaning people; sometimes by outright spoilers, with strategic action. In short, EU-Azerbaijan relations have suffered from a lack of proper dialogue. This dialogue must be frank, honest and multi-faceted involving different segments of society on both sides.   Is Azerbaijan Europe? When Azerbaijan applied to join the Council of Europe in the 1990s, there were some who opposed, saying this was not Europe. I was one of the people who argued that Armenia and Azerbaijan may be on the periphery of the continent geographically, but were European in essence. Certainly their elites. During the discussion on 4 September in Baku, my friend Farhad Mammedov, mentioned that Azerbaijan is not interested in joining the EU, and was now close to the Central Asian countries in the 5 plus 1 format. Neither things mean that Azerbaijan is not Europe. There are several European countries that are not in the EU, and do not want to be, for example Norway and Switzerland. Iceland has recently voted to stay out of the EU. The UK was a member and left. Europe is bigger than the EU, and the holding of the European Political Community summit in Baku in 2027 proves that. Despite all the rhetoric, I never heard the president of Azerbaijan  saying that Azerbaijan is not Europe, nor have I heard any European president say it either. Not wanting to join the EU and forging close relations with neighbouring regions does not make Azerbaijan any less European. It is only logical that when Europeans talk to Azerbaijan they talk like family. The conversation is often frank. It must also be honest, and Europeans need always to remember this too. A frank, honest and multi-faceted dialogue A frank, honest and multifaceted dialogue will contribute to relations between Azerbaijan and the rest of Europe: it will avoid misperception, which unfortunately is very common on both sides; it will provide a forum where problems can be discussed and resolved, and it will increase mutual trust, so that together common problems can be addressed. (click image to read the full Monday Commentary)
Dennis Sammut
Editor's choice
Monday Commentary
Monday Commentary: “The barren rocks of Aden” and “These lands of Yemen are so ruthless”
Trending

Monday Commentary: “The barren rocks of Aden” and “These lands of Yemen are so ruthless”

21 September 2026
There are two early 20th-century tunes that mark foreign attempts to occupy and “pacify” Yemen. The Scottish tune “The barren rocks of Aden” marks the mobilisation of Highland soldiers, enlisted to be deployed to the Yemeni port of Aden, that in 1837 became the last colony to be incorporated into the British Empire. The tune talks of the harshness of the terrain, but is celebratory, It was even played as a farewell tune to Sir William Luce at the parade in Sharjah celebrating his end as “British Viceroy” in the Middle East in 1966. The second tune is an Anatolian lament. As Ilker Sezer reminded us this weekend, in his weekly feature on “Turkiye Today”, it “mourns the tragic fate of Ottoman soldiers dispatched to the harsh, remote deserts of Yemen during the fall of the empire, young men who marched away from their villages and never returned home. Most of their names, and numbers, were never recorded. Yet, their fate left a mark on the Turkish psyche.” Subsequent invaders have discovered that Yemen is a grave that cannot be overcome by the strength of modern technology, and that whilst Yemeni society is splintered and divided, building a reliable alliance with Yemeni factions is difficult. These are the harsh lessons facing Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom faces its biggest challenge in its modern history. The leadership of the Kingdom now has to respond decisively. At stake is their very credibility. This is likely to be a long and messy conflict. Saudi military objectives need to be focused: to box in the Houthis rather than destroy them. This is likely to include: (a) regaining territory lost on the Red Sea coast; (b) control over Bab el Mandeb Strait; (c) some kind of cordon sanitaire on the Saudi-Yemeni border; and if things go well (d) the capture of Sanaa. All this would not eliminate the Houthi problem, but it will contain it. In the end the Saudis will have to continue managing Yemen with a mixture of carrot and stick. For the moment, the stick is likely, but the carrot cannot be forgotten either. (click the image to read the Monday Commentary in full)
Dennis Sammut