Page 884 – The Times Of Central Asia

01 Feb 2024

Uzbekistan Environment, Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Chinese Partners To Help Modernize Uzbekistan’s Electric Power Industry

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The development of renewable energy is a priority for Uzbekistan, with the country aiming for a quarter of its energy to come from renewable sources by 2030.

To meet this target the Ministry of Energy has spoken of the need to attract more international companies to work in the sector, and to train better qualified professionals. With this in mind, JSC Uzenergoengineering — the country’s largest electric power design institute — has recently signed two agreements with Chinese partners.

The first agreement is with the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute (EPPEI) on the creation of a joint venture in Uzbekistan. The new venture will develop short- and long-term plans for the Uzbek power industry, conduct technical and economic studies, provide consultation services to local enterprises, and train personnel.

The second agreement was signed with Energy China International, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Group Corporation Limited, one of the world’s largest energy companies. The parties agreed to set up a new institute in Uzbekistan with a preliminary investment of $30m. This institute will train high-level professionals, and introduce new technologies into the country’s electric power industry.

01 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan

Almaty Hosts First SCO Digital Forum

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The first SCO Digital Forum, bringing together IT and communication agencies from countries within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was held in Almaty on February 1st. The forum is part of the three-day Digital Almaty 2024 event that began today.

The SCO comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The forum was chaired by Kazakhstan’s minister of digital development, innovations and aerospace industry, Bagdat Musin. In his welcoming remarks Mr Musin said that “Kazakhstan has achieved significant success in the field of digitalization, GovTech, and IT development, confidently leading among the Central Asian countries.”

Mr Musin highlighted the successful Kazakhstani IT startups at the international techno-park Astana Hub. “The advantage and attractiveness of Astana Hub to international companies lie in visa and tax preferences, extraterritoriality, the possibility of online registration, and the launch of acceleration programs. Among the Central Asian [countries], Astana Hub [has become] the first partner of Google for Startups, within which a joint acceleration program ‘Silkway Accelerator’ was developed. Over the course of two years of collaboration, the result is a twofold increase in the number of graduate companies; these companies have already entered the markets of the Middle East, the USA, and Europe.”.

Mr Musin proposed the creation of an alliance of IT parks in SCO countries to further grow innovative ecosystems, and to support startup projects and IT companies.

Another area for cooperation could be the construction of fiber-optic communication lines. Utilizing Kazakhstan’s transit potential will provide significant advantages for SCO countries in connecting to the internet and improving connectivity across the Eurasian continent, Mr Musin said. He proposed building fiber-optic cables along the Russia-Kazakhstan-Iran route, with access to the Indian Ocean.

01 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek Plans A Cable Car Line

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Following Tashkent in neighboring Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek is planning to build a cable car line to help solve the city’s transport problems.

On January 30th in Flums, Switzerland, Bishkek’s mayor Aibek Junushaliev met with Roland Bartholet, the CEO of the engineering company Bartholet Maschinenbau AG. The parties signed an agreement and approved a plan to build a cable car line in Bishkek.

The city of Bishkek’s press service called the agreement an important step in the modernization of its urban infrastructure, aimed at providing comfortable transport options for people in the city.

Last month the city of Tashkent and the Chinese company Beijing North Bartholet Ropeway Technology agreed on a project to introduce a cable car service in the Uzbek capital. Beijing North Bartholet Ropeway Technology is a joint venture with Bartholet Maschinenbau AG.

01 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture, Kyrgyzstan

World Bank Provides Additional Support For Rural Water Services In Kyrgyzstan

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

On January 31st the World Bank’s executive board approved $7.64m in additional financing for its ‘Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Development’ project in Kyrgyzstan. This funding tops up the World Bank’s earlier commitment of $59.5m for the project, aimed at improving water supply and sanitation services in rural communities.

Naveed Hassan Naqvi, the World Bank’s country manager for Kyrgyzstan, said that the project will improve the quality of life of rural citizens, especially women, children and the most vulnerable, and will bring a major decrease in water-borne diseases.

The total combined investments under the project are expected to reach 94 villages in the Osh, Chui and Issyk-Kul regions, and directly benefit some 200,000 people, the World Bank said.

The project funds the construction and rehabilitation of 57 climate-resilient water supply subprojects, aiming to enhance both climate adaptation and mitigation by diversifying water supply sources, increasing storage capacity, replacing key assets and installing water meters. It will also retrofit sanitary facilities in 99 social institutions and provide small grants to 1,350 households to upgrade their sanitation facilities.

The project will also enhance national and local institutional capacity for sustainable service delivery and climate-informed sector reforms, including the revision of water supply and sanitation laws.

Odete Muximpua, the World Bank’s senior water supply and sanitation specialist, commented: “The second additional financing will address the financing gap caused by increased construction material prices as a result of the economic crisis. It will also allow for an increase in the size of grants to poor households in all project villages to finance the upgrades of their sanitation facilities.”

01 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Life & Culture, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan

70% Of Kazakhstanis Happy With Their Life, World Bank Survey Finds

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

According to the World Bank’s latest ‘Listening to Kazakhstan’ survey, around 70% of people in the country are happy with their life – a figure that has remained constant since its first survey in 2021.

The survey for 2023, conducted in partnership with the United Kingdom’s department for international development, monitors the economic and social wellbeing of Kazakhstan’s population, and provides insights into the impact of policy changes on households.

The survey reaches 1,400 households in urban and rural areas. It revealed that public perceptions of economic conditions significantly improved last year. It found that a higher percentage of respondents in 2023 believed it was a good time to start a business compared to 2021 and 2022. However, this opinion dipped in the final quarter of 2023.

Around three-quarters of respondents expressed optimism about the country’s long-term economic outlook. This optimism was especially strong in respondents aged 18-24 and in high-income families. The survey showed that support for the government’s reforms increased to 67% last year and was particularly high among young people, the elderly, and people in rural areas.

Metin Nebiler, head of the World Bank in Kazakhstan’s poverty and equity team, commented: “We found it very encouraging to see that the overall wellbeing of Kazakhstanis has been improving. The views on the [economic] outlook and the government’s performance are stable or trending positive.”

However, citizens also registered several concerns. Inflation remains a significant issue for 94% of respondents, although the annual inflation rate declined in 2023.

The survey also found that challenges such as income inequality (92%) and worries about job losses (over 50%) still need to be addressed. Additionally, perceptions of government openness and anti-corruption efforts only showed only slight improvement.

01 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Tajikistan Life & Culture, Tajikistan Local Politics, Tajikistan, Tajikistan Features

Electronic Devices Banned From Classrooms

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The use of personal electronic devices has been banned in schools, the head of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Education and Science, Rahim Saidzoda has said in an interview with Omuzgor.

“We have made significant efforts to prevent students from using electronic copies [of materials] while they are in school. We have nearly finished supplying the necessary number of [physical] books to schools. Students were permitted to use electronics in class until recently – this was because of a lack of textbooks. Presently, the circumstances have changed; funds are sufficient, and the books have been published,” the minister stated.

Another reason for the ban is that parents frequently protested that their childrens’ phones were taken away from them at during random searches at some schools, and that some administrators were even demanding payment in exchange for returning the device.

Teachers and parents appear split on the issue. The first group feels that gadgets keep kids from studying and they haven’t figured out how to use these devices for learning; the second, on the other hand, feels that new technologies need to be introduced in order to stay up to date.

A look at how the issue is handled in Kazakhstan – where children are banned by law from using phones in class – may shed light on the issue. In Kazakhstan, if the school has special boxes, children leave their devices in there, and if not, they are to remain in the children’s backpacks. The Deputy Minister of Education of Kazakhstan, Natalya Jumadildayeva, said she agrees with parents in Tajikistan who believe that use of electronic devices during classes will lower the results of both those using them, and their distracted classmates.