Kazakhstan uncovered mineral resources valued at KZT 1.1 trillion ($2.5 bn) in the vicinity of its single-industry towns, as disclosed by the Minister of Industry and Construction, Kanat Sharlapayev, during a government session on April 2.
Balkhash, located in the Karaganda region and known for its specialization in non-ferrous metallurgy, is among the noted single-industry towns contributing to this finding.
Sharlapayev highlighted the successful attraction of private investments totalling KZT 28.7 bn ($64.2 mn) for regional exploration. "This year, the aim is to finalize the prospecting operations in five promising districts near the cities of Abai, Kurchatov, Balkhash, and Altai, initiated in 2022," he stated.
Single-industry towns, which number 20 and house a population of 1.3 mn, are predominantly engaged in mining and initial processing of minerals. In the previous year, these towns contributed 40% of Kazakhstan's total industrial output, valued at KZT 18.5 trillion ($41.4 bn). Additionally, the count of operational small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in these towns saw an increase from 92,300 to 100,200 entities over the year.
Nurlan Baibazarov, Deputy Prime Minister and National Economy Minister, noted, "Currently, 23 city-forming entities are active in the sectors of oil, gas, coal, bauxite, iron ore, and others in these towns. Fixed asset investment in 2023 surged to KZT 4.2 trillion ($9.4 bn), showing a 6.1% increment compared to the prior year."
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