WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 - The World Bank Group's Board of Directors today discussed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Kazakhstan for fiscal years 2026-2031, aimed at supporting the country's transition toward a more diversified, competitive, and resilient economy.
The framework is structured around three outcomes: 1) strengthening connectivity and infrastructure services; 2) enhancing resilience through improved natural resource management; and 3) fostering a strong enabling environment for private sector development. A cross-cutting priority is expanding private sector participation in the economy as a driver of sustainable growth and jobs.
Through its national development and sectoral programs, Kazakhstan is advancing a new generation of reforms to improve transport and digital connectivity, strengthen natural resource governance, and create higher-quality jobs for the country's growing young population.
"Kazakhstan has the ambition, institutional foundations, and natural resources needed to reach its development goals," said Andrei Mikhnev, World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. "This CPF is designed to unlock Kazakhstan's potential by combining financing, global knowledge, and policy support while leveraging private sector financing and partnerships."
The CPF will support Kazakhstan's role as a key part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor). It will also promote diversification and sustainability of the energy system, expand digital connectivity, and help address environmental challenges, including water scarcity, land degradation, and the deterioration of the Aral and Caspian seas.
"Kazakhstan's investment needs remain substantial, and the private sector can play an important role in addressing them," said Zafar Khashimov, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Country Manager for Kazakhstan.
The new partnership framework leverages the full range of World Bank Group institutions - the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), IFC, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) - in a coordinated approach to combine public financing, private investment, and risk mitigation instruments, with the aim of maximizing development impact and mobilizing private capital at scale.
The CPF is informed by the Streamlined Systematic Country Diagnostic and reflects extensive consultations with the Government of Kazakhstan, development partners, the private sector, civil society, and academia. It is also aligned with the country's strategic priorities and the WBG's goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet.
