Kazakhstan faces a major restructuring: 10 key statements by the President

Tengrinews.kz — President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual Address to the people of the country. He announced an increase in the minimum wage to 110,000 tenge, large-scale construction in 2027 and the allocation of 6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund. The Head of State also spoke about inflation, social assistance, the tax system and road quality. Tengrinews.kz compiled the key statements.
At the beginning of his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the special significance of this year’s Address.
2027 to become a year of nationwide construction
The President declared 2027 the Year of Large-Scale Construction.
The main message was that while the world is being transformed by artificial intelligence, Kazakhstan will focus on building a real and solid foundation for people’s lives.

“The collective nationwide response to the challenges of the artificial intelligence era is to build and build again,” the President emphasized.

Construction will cover every region, from major cities to remote villages.
New roads will be built, railway stations and airports will be modernized. Hospitals, sports complexes, libraries and creative centers will be constructed. Housing development will continue, along with the expansion of gas supply and access to clean drinking water in settlements.
6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund to modernize Kazakhstan
A total of 6.5 trillion tenge has been allocated from the National Fund through the end of 2029. President Tokayev explained that the Fund’s main purpose is not simply to keep money in accounts, but to invest it in improving the lives of Kazakhstanis today.

“Our responsibility to future generations lies not only in leaving them monetary savings in accounts but in building and passing on a qualitatively new country: technologically advanced, with a strong competitive economy, modern infrastructure, and high standards of living, where every citizen has the opportunity for self-realization. This is our primary task—a mission of historical proportions, if you will,” the President emphasized.

The first 1.5 trillion tenge for social projects will be allocated at the beginning of 2027. Find out where exactly the money will go.
Kazakhstan moves toward the world’s top 50 economies
The President said the country is steadily gaining economic weight. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in 2026 Kazakhstan is aiming for the following figures:

$400 billion — the country’s GDP is expected to approach this level.
$19,000 — projected GDP per capita.
47th place globally — Kazakhstan is expected to reach this position by economic size, ahead of countries with much larger populations.
14 percent — the share of manufacturing in the economy has exceeded this level.
$130 billion — the country’s total financial “safety cushion.”

The Head of State said this potential should not lose value by simply sitting in accounts and should instead be directed toward large-scale modernization of infrastructure, roads, schools and hospitals across all regions.
Minimum wage to rise to 110,000 tenge
From January 1, 2027, Kazakhstan’s minimum wage will increase from 85,000 to 110,000 tenge. The President also announced the increase in his Address.
The change will directly affect around 1.8 million Kazakhstanis. More than 370,000 public sector employees are expected to see their incomes rise.
The increase may affect not only workers’ earnings, but also the size of some social payments, pension contributions and payments to state funds.
Inflation is a “silent enemy”
The President called inflation a “silent enemy undermining citizens’ well-being.” Although price growth has slowed somewhat, with annual inflation at 9.3 percent, it remains too high.
The President’s main demand was that the government and the National Bank act in a coordinated manner to effectively curb price growth.
Tokayev emphasized that the country’s financial system is highly stable:

more than 75 trillion tenge in assets held by Kazakhstan’s banks;
52 trillion tenge in total household and business deposits;
78 percent of deposits are held in tenge.

Social assistance reform: “We must not do more harm than good”
In his Address, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also spoke about reforming the social assistance system.
He stressed that state support should go only to those who genuinely need it.

“This complex issue must be resolved carefully and in a balanced way, so that all sides are taken into account. Under no circumstances should we do more harm than good,” the Head of State said.

“The Tax Code is not sacred scripture”
The President said the new Tax Code should not be detached from reality and that changes need to be made.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the current legislation had become cumbersome, difficult to understand and “a real headache for entrepreneurs.” The government was instructed to eliminate contradictions, remove ambiguous interpretations, correct distortions and reduce excessive burdens on business.
The Cabinet will need to listen to entrepreneurs and develop a package of targeted amendments, doing so carefully in order to avoid constantly changing the rules.
New Civil Code
The Head of State said a new Civil Code should be developed and adopted by the end of next year.
The existing code has fulfilled its role: it helped create the institutions of a market economy, formed the basis of civil relations and established property protections. The goal of the new code is to become the legal foundation for a transition to the economy of the future and to create stable conditions for investors, entrepreneurs and citizens.
“They turned it into a real game of football”: Tokayev criticizes officials over road quality
The President sharply criticized the condition of Kazakhstan’s roads. He said central and local executive bodies had turned the issue into “a real game of football” by passing responsibility around and burying the problem in excuses.

“I repeat: we need high-quality roads. Excuses regarding the quality of bitumen or gravel will not be accepted. I remind you: without high-quality roads and modern roadside infrastructure, Kazakhstan cannot claim the status of a global transit artery or a Eurasian transport and logistics hub,” the President emphasized.

All responsibility for road repairs and quality was ordered to be transferred to the Ministry of Transport. The tasks include:

building a unified network of modern roads and railways connecting all regions;
completing high-quality reconstruction of all road border checkpoints by the end of next year.

Public administration reform
The President of Kazakhstan instructed officials to launch a deep reform of the state apparatus, rather than make only cosmetic changes. The reform plan is to be presented by June 1, 2027.
Artificial intelligence will be integrated into the work of government officials to reduce paperwork, eliminate duplicated functions and speed up decision-making. The management structure will be reviewed from the government level down to village akims.
Updated ethical principles will be developed for civil servants, with higher requirements for integrity and professionalism.