By a decree dated January 9th, President Tokayev ordered that the village of Zhetygen in the Ili district of the Almaty region be classified as a city of regional significance and renamed Alatau. The new city is located 15 km from Almaty, and has a total area of 88,000 hectares and a population of 52, 700.
The Ministry of National Economy said that the creation of the new city will allow for the modernization of road networks, engineering and social infrastructure, create new jobs, attract investment and technology, develop entrepreneurial activity, and increase tax revenues.
A decision to expand the territory of the local Special Economic Zone (SEZ) from 30,000 to 96,500 hectares and rename the G4 City SEZ to the Alatau SEZ was also approved. As a result, the entire territory of Alatau and part of the nearby city of Konaev are now included within the territory of the SEZ. The SEZ is expected to host more than 170 projects with the creation of 110,000 new jobs, the ministry said.
In November 2023, the Alatau project was discussed at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov. According to the plan, the new city should become a magnet for attracting domestic and foreign investments and an international business hub operating to world standards based on the experience of such international business centers as Dubai, Singapore, and Tianjin.
The development of Alatau will also facilitate an increase in the level of trade and investment interaction with China and Central Asian countries, launch new production and commercial projects, and introduce best practices in various spheres and industries. For this purpose, conditions and incentives will be provided to attract investments and for doing business in the new city and its SEZ, including tax and customs.
