The World Bank has approved a $50mn concessional loan to support the implementation of the Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project, aimed at expanding digital skills training and creating new employment opportunities in information technology-enabled services (ITES).
The project seeks to strengthen Uzbekistan’s digital economy and broaden access to IT-related jobs for young people, particularly those living in rural and remote areas.
Uzbekistan’s export of IT-enabled services has grown rapidly in recent years, rising from $600,000 in 2017 to $140 mn in 2022, reflecting the expansion of technology companies and the creation of higher-paying jobs in the sector. However, the information and communications technology sector accounted for only 1.9% of the country’s GDP in 2022, highlighting significant potential for further growth.
Under the country’s Uzbekistan–2030 National Development Strategy, authorities aim to transform Uzbekistan into a Central Asian IT hub by the end of the decade. The strategy targets $5 bn in annual IT exports, the attraction of 1,000 foreign IT companies, and the creation of 300,000 jobs for young people in the technology sector.
The World Bank-supported initiative will be implemented by IT Park Uzbekistan under the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan.
According to Marco Mantovanelli, the World Bank’s country manager for Uzbekistan, the project aims to use IT-enabled services as a driver of economic growth and employment.
“The new World Bank-supported project will help Uzbekistan use IT-enabled services as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and foreign investment,” Mantovanelli said. “It will train thousands of young people under the age of 30 in rural and remote locations and provide incentives for ITES companies to employ them.”
By 2029, when the project is expected to conclude, officials estimate that around 25,000 people could be employed in Uzbekistan’s ITES sector, with an additional 15,000 jobs created in related industries.
Key components of the project include the establishment of up to 11 regional ITES centers offering modern office space for technology companies to expand operations across the country.
The initiative will also provide skills training for approximately 6,200 young people, including 3,100 women and 250 persons with disabilities, focusing on communication skills, computer literacy and foreign languages such as English.
In addition, around 9,000 young people — including 4,500 women and 360 persons with disabilities — are expected to be employed by ITES companies participating in the program and benefiting from financial incentives.
The project will also support the development of legal and regulatory frameworks aimed at improving the business environment for technology companies and is expected to help attract around 240 new IT-enabled service companies to become residents of IT Park and launch operations in Uzbekistan.
Officials say the initiative could play a key role in expanding employment opportunities for young people, including women, while supporting the country’s broader transition toward a digital and innovation-driven economy.
