Shymkent, 22 October. At the 9th Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable, KGIR-2026, in Shymkent, 22 documents worth $4.8 billion were signed, including agreements on a 1,000 MW wind farm in Kostanay region and a memorandum on a 250 MW data centre in Ekibastuz, the government press service said.
Three of the documents are investment agreements. The Ministry of Energy and Turan Wind Energy LLP agreed on a 1,000 MW wind farm with energy storage in Kostanay region worth $730 million; the Ministry of Transport and Freedom Lab LLP on an intelligent road monitoring system (ISKAD) worth $249.6 million; and the Ministry of Industry and Construction and Aktobe Steklo on a glass container plant in Aktobe worth $150 million.
The rest are memoranda and framework agreements, in other words statements of intent. The Ministry of Education and DSKZ & KAMC LLP plan to build a network of 20 regional inclusive schools for $1 billion; the Baiterek holding and China's Guoyou Materials Group a multipurpose terminal in the first phase of developing the port of Kuryk for $1 billion; Kazakh Invest and Shoval Kazakhstan an "International Medical City of Kazakhstan" for $650 million; and the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Amsa Digital a 250 MW data centre in the Data Centre Valley for $500 million. There are smaller projects too: a meat cluster in Turkestan region for $111.1 million, a Coventry University campus in Astana for $40.8 million, a polypropylene bag plant in Kyzylorda region for $8.8 million and a PET preform and plastic recycling plant in Shymkent for $74.3 million.
Opening the plenary session, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov pointed to economic growth: "Last year the country's GDP exceeded $300 billion, growing by 6.5%. Over the years of independence Kazakhstan has attracted almost half a trillion dollars of foreign direct investment. In the last five years alone, more than $100 billion has been attracted." He invited investors to the Data Centre Valley project in Ekibastuz and to Alatau City. The government named manufacturing and the chemical industry, food production and transport engineering, agriculture and agri-processing, digitalisation and IT infrastructure, and the construction of high-tech cities as investment priorities. More than 500 investors and business representatives from over 40 countries came to Shymkent; speakers included Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg, Islamic Development Bank President Muhammad Al Jasser and Masdar chief executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
What it means: The government took its investment roundtable to Shymkent and signed a package of documents worth almost $5 billion, but only three of them, worth $1.13 billion, are binding investment agreements; most of the volume consists of memoranda of intent covering schools, a port, a medical city and a data centre.
Who benefits: The commitments under the investment agreements concern Kostanay and Aktobe regions and roads across the country; the memoranda concern Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions, Shymkent, Astana and Mangystau. The government statement gives no deadlines for the memoranda; whether they turn into investment will become clear from subsequent agreements.
Background: The government cites ratings as an argument for investors: S&P raised Kazakhstan's sovereign rating to BBB with a stable outlook for the first time in a decade, and the country climbed 17 places to 53rd in the Global Investment Risk and Resilience Index.
List of sources used: Government of Kazakhstan
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
