On June 8, 2023, the 35th Plenary Session of the Foreign Investors’ Council chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was held. The main topic of the meeting was “Digital transformation of the economy”.
The event was attended by top managers and heads of the largest transnational companies, heads of government agencies and representatives of international organizations.
The President emphasized that digitization represents a tremendous technological breakthrough and a significant opportunity. The rapid growth of digitization is already exerting a profound influence on economic development and reshaping the rules of the game across various industries. Kazakhstan is actively striving to develop digital technologies and considers them a factor in the country's competitiveness on the global stage. A significant step in this direction was the establishment of the United Nations Digital Solutions Center for Sustainable Development in Central Asia.
The President highlighted that Kazakhstan already ranks 20th in terms of digitization speed among countries, and the Digital IQ index confirms the country's prospects in digital well-being. He further stated,
"In 2022, the level of digitization in Kazakhstan increased by 12%, and our digital products are becoming more competitive in international markets. Last year, the export of IT products and services increased fivefold, reaching 333 million dollars. Our short-term goal is to increase this indicator to 500 million dollars by 2025. However, we intend to continue moving forward."
During the Plenary session speeches were delivered by the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin, KFICA Governing Board Chairman, EY Managing Partner in Central Asia& Caucasus Erlan Dosymbekov, President of the Asian Development Bank Masatsugu Asakawa, President of CNPC Hou Qijun, CEO of Shell plc Wael Sawan, Executive Vice President of Oil and Gas at Chevron Corporation, Nigel Hearn, President, CIS and Central Asia, Philip Morris International Marco Mariotti, CEO of LUKOIL Vadim Vorobiev, EY EMEIA Managing Partner (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa), Julie Linn Teigland, CEO of Air Liquide François Jackow, Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes Lorenzo Simonelli, President of Microsoft in Central Europe and Central Asia Michelle Simmons, and President and CEO of Wabtec Corporation Rafael Santana.
At the meeting, foreign investors noted the importance and relevance of the chosen topic and shared their recommendations on the digital transformation of the economy.