In his Address to the Nation entitled “Key Priorities for Kazakhstan in a New Historical Era,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared 2027 the Year of Large-Scale Nationwide Construction.
The President stated that the Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence had given impetus to the development of an advanced state.
“We must now pursue this work in a systematic manner and build an AI-driven digital economy. The Government, national companies and the creative industries sector must play an active role in this process. This is a critically important national objective that fully reflects the demands of the new era. To build the economy of the future, we must decisively abandon conventional thinking and outdated approaches once and for all. We must lay an entirely new foundation for the development of society. In essence, this can be described as a long-term national mission that will pave the way for a decent life for the younger generation in an era of advanced technologies,” the President said.
According to the President, regardless of how complex, challenging or even dangerous the digital age may be, the goal remains unchanged: to build a new type of state and remain committed to the path of modernisation and renewal.
The President proposed declaring the coming year the Year of Large-Scale Nationwide Construction.
“Throughout this year, we must launch the construction and renovation of civil infrastructure facilities in every regional centre, district and even locality. In particular, construction must begin on roads, airports, railway stations and healthcare facilities, including rehabilitation centres for children with special needs. In addition, creative arts centres, sports complexes, libraries and research centres must be established across all regions. Naturally, housing construction remains an important priority. The Constitution identifies improving the well-being of the people as a strategic priority of the state. I would like to emphasise that all these initiatives are being undertaken for the benefit of the country, and especially for the sake of the younger generation,” the President said.
The President noted that Kazakhstan is home to nearly 7 mln children, accounting for 34 % of the population, and that over 330,000 babies are born each year. Given the country’s rapid population growth, the systematic and timely development of healthcare infrastructure is of particular importance.
“At the first stage of this large-scale construction programme, we plan to build eight state-of-the-art perinatal centres across the country. In addition, 7 multidisciplinary children’s hospitals will be established in Atyrau, Aktobe, Almaty, Shymkent, Kaskelen, Semey and Aktau, along with two additional healthcare facilities in Astana. Alongside public funding, it would be advisable to attract private capital on a broad scale. Projects under existing public-private partnership arrangements must be implemented successfully. This form of partnership will help increase private investment in social infrastructure. Above all, the relevant procedures must not be delayed without justification, and decisions must be made promptly,” the President stated.
