Kazakhstan to Launch New AQMOLA Industrial Zone to Attract Foreign and Domestic Investment

Kazakhstan marked the groundbreaking of a major industrial development on June 20 with a ceremony inaugurating the AQMOLA Industrial Zone in the Akmola region, near the capital city of Astana. Spanning nearly 1,000 hectares, the new industrial zone is designed to host production facilities for both domestic and international investors. Seven investment projects are already underway, backed by companies from China, Turkey, Singapore, and Kazakhstan. The initiative is expected to create over 4,500 new jobs. At the launch event, Akmola region Akim (Governor) Marat Akhmetzhanov underscored the strategic significance of the project. "The industrial zone will accommodate production facilities of leading companies from Kazakhstan and abroad. Concentrating production capacities in one location will have a multiplier effect on agriculture, processing, logistics, and other sectors, providing a boost to the region’s development," he stated. Key Investment Projects Among the cornerstone ventures is a deep wheat-processing complex by China’s Dalian Hesheng Holdings. The three-phase project, scheduled from 2025 to 2028, will produce sodium glutamate, gluten powder, and other high-demand products targeting markets in China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Turkey’s YDA Group will construct an agrochemical complex for manufacturing fertilizers and pesticides. The Kazakh Institute of Oil and Gas plans to establish a liquefied natural gas production facility. Meanwhile, China’s Eagle Architecture Technology Co., Ltd. will build a diverse industrial plant to manufacture bitumen waterproof roofing materials, autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, polyvinyl chloride products, aluminum facades, stained glass, windows, and doors. The AQMOLA Industrial Zone represents a key step in Kazakhstan’s broader strategy to attract foreign direct investment and develop regional industrial hubs that contribute to national economic growth.

China and Russia Remain Kyrgyzstan’s Largest Foreign Investors

The National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan has released updated figures on foreign direct investment (FDI), revealing that China and Russia remained the country’s largest investors in 2024. According to the data published on April 15, Kyrgyzstan received $872.6 million in FDI in 2024, marking an increase from $844.9 million in 2023. China accounted for 23.9% of total FDI, followed by Russia with 22.7%, Turkey (10.2%), Luxembourg (8.8%), Kazakhstan (5.7%), the Netherlands (4.9%), and Azerbaijan (3.4%). The remaining 20.4% came from a mix of other countries. Compared to the previous year, Kyrgyzstan saw increased investment from Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Russia, while inflows from the UK, UAE, Kazakhstan, and China declined. Sector Breakdown The manufacturing sector attracted the largest share of foreign investment, receiving 33.2% of total FDI. This was followed by the financial sector (20.6%), wholesale and retail trade (18.7%), the mining industry (11.3%), and geological exploration (8.3%). Sharp Rise in Overall Investment The total volume of investments in fixed assets from all sources in the first quarter of 2025 reached 56.8 billion Kyrgyz som, reflecting a 90.6% increase year-on-year. This marks a significant acceleration compared to the 63.9% growth recorded during the same period in 2024. Officials attribute the sharp rise primarily to a 2.1-fold increase in domestic financing, while the volume of foreign investment in fixed assets during the same period decreased by 1.5 times compared to the first quarter of 2024.