ASTANA – Kazakhstan is preparing for a nationwide construction drive that will direct nearly 6.5 trillion tenge (US$14.3 billion) toward infrastructure development through 2029, as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev calls for a new phase of economic modernization built around tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The construction of the new coke-production facilities undergo in the Karagandy Region. The project was presented to the President during his visit to the Qarmet plant in Temirtau on Nov. 2. Photo credit: Akorda. The initiative, known as Khalyktyq Qurylys or the People’s Construction program, will cover roads, airports, railway stations, power plants, hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, sports facilities and other public infrastructure across the country.
The government is expected to begin implementing the program next year, designated by Tokayev as the Year of Nationwide Large-Scale Construction. “The entire meaning of the People’s Construction initiative can be expressed in simple words: ‘Build, and build again.’ We must leave present and future generations not merely programs and concepts, valuable as they may be, but tangible results, above all social infrastructure,” Tokayev said during a working visit to the Karagandy Region on Nov.
2. Kazakhstan’s planned construction drive comes amid sustained economic growth and expanding activity in several key sectors. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the country’s gross domestic product grew by 6.5% in real terms in 2025. GDP per capita increased from $9,813 in 2019 to $15,006.4 in 2025, representing a 52.9% rise over the period.
Construction was among the fastest-growing sectors, expanding by 17.5% in 2025. These figures provide an economic backdrop for the government’s infrastructure plans. Construction as an investment in quality of life The government’s immediate priority is to identify the infrastructure most urgently needed in each region and prepare a coordinated list of projects before the end of 2026.
At an Oct. 29 government meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov instructed the ministries responsible for industry and construction, transport, energy, healthcare and education to work with regional administrations to assess demand for infrastructure and social facilities.
The review will cover local roads, housing and utility networks, educational institutions, cultural facilities and medical infrastructure. “The People’s Construction program will become the largest infrastructure project in our history. The results of its implementation will depend on the clearly coordinated work of the government and regional administrations,” Bektenov said.
The emphasis on regional needs reflects the program’s stated objective of improving living conditions across the country, rather than concentrating investment in major urban centers. Construction as a source of jobs and business opportunities