World Monitor Magazine, Business and Investments WM_march 2019_web | Page 34

INVEST TO KAZAKHSTAN
to infrastructure and land, joint work
with the National Bank on currency
regulation, work over the improvement
of immigration and visa legislation, and
strengthening of institutions for working
with investors. This set of measures
will significantly improve the work
with investors and create new special
conditions.
How are you going to build work with
investors, including the work of the
embassies? How will investments be
attracted?
EK: We have already analyzed and
identified about 3,000 companies that
would be interested to work in our
country. Further, the mechanism is as
follows: we aim our embassies abroad at
building the first contact with companies
and conduct explanatory work, to provide
primary materials about the conditions
for doing business in Kazakhstan.
Subsequently, the arrival of these
companies in Kazakhstan is implied,
and here we will hold meetings at all
levels. Further, we organize separate
working groups for companies that have
shown interest in the following areas:
industrialization, the ‘economy of simple
things’,
infrastructure,
agricultural
production, including the food industry.
Separately, digitalization and new
technologies, energy, petrochemistry,
privatization, together with the AIFC
portfolio investments, as well as tourism.
On behalf of the GG, we create a complex
ecosystem, where we paint an algorithm
of actions, and specific regulations
for all interested bodies, the MFA of
RK operates at the external level, all
government bodies at the central level,
these are national companies, and also
regional administrations. We have one
task – to find a new layer of investors.
What projects are now at work?
What are the most significant of
them you can highlight?
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EK: We understand that, in general,
the investor comes not only to Astana
and Almaty, but also to all regions.
We are currently working on 157
projects totaling at about $ 40 billion.
The significant part of them falls on
Karaganda region, after Almaty. Also in
the top five are Kostanay, Zhambyl and
the city of Astana. It should be noted
that Astana plays an important role in
the economy of the country. In general,
the city has great prospects to become
a key global city of the Eurasian macro-
region. In recent years there were a
solid number of international events
that have been held in the capital.
These successful events, as well as the
growth dynamics of the capital, show
that investors are interested and they
want not only work, but also live in
Astana.
Attracting investments – one
of the key priorities of the
city.
Mr. Abdykadyrov, obviously invest-
ments are important for any coun-
try and city. Can you, kindly, share
what is being implemented for at-
tracting investments into Astana?
What are the capital’s perspectives
in this regard?
AA: Investment is important for the
city. Especially, considering the fact
that the capital is growing rapidly. For
20 years, the population has increased
by more than three times, now Astana
is a million-plus city. By 2030, growth is
expected to two million. An interesting
observation: in terms of population
growth, Astana is second only to cities
in China. The capital is becoming more
attractive for investments – last year
over one trillion tenge was attracted to
fixed assets. Over the past five years,
foreign (outbound) investments have
increased by ten times, the number of
foreign companies has increased by
more than twice. The city is changing
and is on its way to transformation
into a ‘global city’. And a vivid example
of this was the entry of Astana into the
list of global cities, compiled by the
English research centre Globalisation
and World Cities Research Network,
which studies global cities. This ranking
includes 375 cities with the largest
role in the global economy, such as
New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong,
Beijing, Dubai.
Today, urbanization is an irreversible
trend, and according to the UN
forecast, by 2050 more than 70% of
humanity will live in cities. Global cities
are centers of activity. They become
anchors for entire macro-regions, not
only for their countries. For example,
Dubai for the Middle East, Singapore
for Southeast Asia. These are centres
for
innovation,
finance,
health,
education, commerce and tourism.
Global and smart cities do not arise
by themselves. The urban economy is
transforming after the transformation
of the urban environment. What
do we see in the most developed,
comfortable and intelligent cities? A
changing regulatory environment, lack
of administrative barriers, new land
use standards and much more. That is,
the investor comes to the territory and
may be free to choose the site in which
he invests.
The head of state set the task of
transforming Astana into a global
city that will become the main centre
of attraction for creative people,
talents, youth, as well as tourists and
foreign investors. With this purpose
in mind we are now introducing
completely new approaches to the
development of the urban system,
making it more comfortable and safe.
We change approaches in interaction
with investors, motivating the growth
of interest. We have begun the