On 30 April, the headquarters of British Expertise International, a leading UK consulting company, hosted a seminar on the investment opportunities in Kazakhstan, reported the Kazakh Embassy in London.
The seminar was organized by Kazakh Invest and London Infrastructure and was attended by the heads of leading British companies, including Aggreco, Alaco, UK Export Finance, JP Morgan, Rothschild capital group, DMT consulting, JCB, Worley Parsons, IPC, EBRD, Mobsby Associates, TVET UK, Advantix Ltd, CBRE, Ricardo Energy, SP Angel, Paramount Powders, Crown Agents, Cundall, John Wiley & Sons, Rattan Power, The D Group, as well as state agencies, industry experts and representatives from the academic community.
The Kazakh delegation led by the Head of the Kazakh Invest Mr Saparbek Tuyakbayev, comprised of representatives of BI Group and Eurasia Gold Inc companies, as well as the Development Bank and other organizations.
The seminar focused on various aspects of Kazakhstan’s investment climate and prospects for implementing business projects. In particular, participants were provided with detailed information on the opportunities for doing business in Kazakhstan, legislative support, and competitive advantages for attracting foreign investment. To date, British companies have expressed particular interest in infrastructure projects implemented by Kazakhstan as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. Potential investors are also interested in projects in the areas of agriculture, mining, engineering and renewable energy. Other promising areas of co-operation between the two countries include information technology, digital economy, e-government, petrochemicals, processing, education and healthcare.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK Erlan Idrissov noted that Kazakhstan was becoming more open and attractive country for doing business with a favorable investment climate. – Large-scale changes are taking place in the country, allowing Kazakhstan to become one of the most convenient countries for investors in the future. A vivid example of consistent reforms is the introduction of the principles of English common law into the Astana International Financial Centre and the establishment of rules for doing business in line with the best international standards, – Ambassador Idrissov said.
Baroness Emma Nicholson, Trade Envoy of the Prime Minister of the UK to Kazakhstan, noted the very successful co-operation of the UK and Kazakhstan in the implementation of investment projects, including in the financial services, agriculture, mining and food industries. In turn, the Chairman of Kazakh Invest Saparbek Tuyakbaev, told seminar participants about the 50 leading priority investment projects approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Head of Kazakh Invest urged British businessmen to take an active role in the implementation of investment projects in Kazakhstan. The visit of the Kazakh delegation continued with a series of bilateral talks with British colleagues, during which the prospect for implementing joint projects in Kazakhstan was discussed in detail.
On the side-lines of the event, the “Construction of distribution networks for drinking water of national significance” project was discussed in detail. Both sides agreed to implement a joint project, which preliminarily figures suggest will cost about $ 2 billion. Initial project documents were signed.
