In Kazakhstan, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become a mechanism for implementing infrastructure projects using limited government financial resources. At a briefing on February 25, Aslan Kaligazin, Chairman of the Management Board of the Kazakhstan Public-Private Partnership Center, spoke about public-private partnership development in 2025 and outlined priorities for the future.
According to Kaligazin, Kazakhstan has so far concluded 1,257 PPPs and concession agreements totaling KZT 3.6 trillion (€7.19bn). Of these, 697 projects are currently being implemented. Only 17 these projects are implemented at the national level, while accounting for more than half (KZT 1.8 trillion, $3.6bn) of the total projects’ value.
The absolute majority of the PPPs – 1,240 projects – are being implemented at the local level.
The projects mainly concentrate in the social sector, healthcare, education, energy, and housing and utilities, together accounting for over 88% of all contracts.
Transport and infrastructure represent a significant share in value terms: around 27% of the total portfolio.
Kaligazin noted that PPP in Kazakhstan has been undergoing a transformation in recent years: while the number of contracts is declining, the average project size is increasing. Prior to 2022, the average project cost stood at approximately KZT 6 billion ($11.99 million, but increased to KZT 18 billion ($25.97 million) in 2022–2025. The portfolio is increasingly shaped not by small social facilities, but by large-scale and technologically sophisticated infrastructure projects.
Among the most capital-intensive projects of 2025 were the construction of Industrial Park No. 2 in the Astana Technopolis Special Economic Zone, and a project to introduce AI-based solutions into Astana’s security and urban infrastructure management system.
The Kazakhstan Public-Private Partnership Center’s future plans include identifying priority infrastructure and sectoral segments where PPPs should become the primary project delivery mechanism. A list of areas will be formed in which PPP projects will gradually replace projects financed exclusively from the state budget.
“Our task is not to formally expand the PPP portfolio, but to develop sustainable, well-structured projects that deliver long-term economic impact and tangible benefits for citizens,” Kaligazin concluded.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has adopted legislative amendments increasing the efficiency and transparency of PPP project planning. PPP contracts are now concluded solely on a competitive basis, and the planning and competitive selection procedures have been digitalized, according to the Ministry of National Economy.
To engage private business in the creation of social infrastructure, a Comprehensive PPP Development Plan for 2024–2028 was adopted, providing for the implementation of 43 projects in the areas of education, healthcare, sports, and social protection.
