Tokayev calls for Kazakhstan to become fully digital state

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed a meeting on the development of Astana, outlining key priorities for the capital and the country’s broader modernisation agenda.

According to the presidential press service Akorda, the Kazakh leader emphasised that Astana should not be developed in a way that focuses solely on its most visible areas. “We need to look beyond the façades,” Tokayev said, stressing the need for balanced and comprehensive urban development.

He paid particular attention to the quality of housing construction in the capital. Astana, he noted, leads the country in terms of construction volume, but this rapid pace has often come at the expense of standards.

“It is necessary to ensure the quality of housing under construction. Astana leads the country in construction pace, but in the pursuit of volume, quality often suffers. The use of substandard materials, violations of construction technologies, and lowering of safety standards are real crimes. This must be spoken about openly. Such practices must be stopped,” the president said.

Tokayev stated that resolving these problems requires systemic solutions, calling on the government to implement modern oversight mechanisms. “The government should introduce a digital system for planning and quality control at all stages — from design to commissioning. This will help bring order to the sector and ensure the quality of work,” he said.

The president also underscored the strategic importance of energy infrastructure development. “Thanks to the state’s targeted efforts, the capital now has a gas supply, and the overall level of gasification across the country has exceeded 60 per cent,” Tokayev noted.

In addition, he said that the possibility of building a new airport should be examined in order to enhance Astana’s transport and transit potential.

Turning to the broader economic situation, Tokayev acknowledged global challenges but highlighted Kazakhstan’s stable growth.

“Today, the entire world is going through a difficult period. Despite this, our country is maintaining confident development rates. The driving forces of growth have been manufacturing, construction, and the transport and logistics sector. By the end of the year, our economy is projected to grow by 6 per cent, while GDP per capita will exceed $15,000. It is clear that systematic and large-scale work is already yielding results,” he said.

According to the president, Astana must continue to lead the country in implementing major initiatives. “We will continue reforms. We need to expand Kazakhstan’s transit potential and become a fully digital state, develop the energy sector and agriculture,” Tokayev concluded.

By Tamilla Hasanova