ASTANA — For decades, Kazakhstan’s mining story has been defined by what lies beneath its soil. At the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress (AMM) 2026 on June 11, however, the conversation focused on a different question: what happens after the minerals are extracted?
Bektenov said the country’s strategic goal is to create a new industrial model that will position Kazakhstan as a manufacturer of value-added products for global markets. Photo credit: Prime minister’s press service As governments and companies race to secure supplies of critical minerals needed for AI, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing, speakers at the congress argued that resource wealth alone is no longer enough.
The bigger prize lies in processing, technology, transnational collaboration and talent. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov used the platform to outline Kazakhstan’s ambitions to move beyond its traditional role as a supplier of raw materials. According to him, the country’s strategic goal is to create a new industrial model that will position Kazakhstan not only as a supplier of raw materials, but also as a manufacturer of competitive, value-added products for global markets.
“President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set the task of a gradual transition from a predominantly raw-material model to an economy of deep processing and high added value,” Bektenov said. The shift is already underway. Over the past two years, Kazakhstan has launched more than $1 billion worth of facilities producing cathode copper, ferrosilicon, ferroalloys and other higher-value products.
Among the largest projects is a copper smelter in the Abai Region, valued at more than $1.5 billion, that will enable Kazakhstan to process nearly all of the copper concentrate it currently exports. Other projects include a hydrometallurgical plant in the Pavlodar Region and modernization efforts at Qarmet aimed at producing higher-value steel products, including automotive steel.
Yet Bektenov’s message went beyond individual projects. The government’s goal, he said, is to create industrial ecosystems through technology transfer, localization and workforce development. “We are interested not only in attracting capital, but also in developing long-term technological partnerships, localization of production, technology transfer and training qualified personnel,” he said.
The emphasis reflects a broader realization emerging across mineral-rich countries: owning resources is increasingly less important than controlling the stages of the supply chain where the greatest value is created. That theme resonated strongly with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef, whose country has pursued an aggressive strategy to develop mining as a pillar of economic diversification.
He pointed to a striking paradox. Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia collectively hold roughly one-third of global mineral reserves, yet account for only a fraction of global mining output. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said the beauty about mining is there is no competition and the collaboration is going to make one plus one equal three.