Central Asia Pivot

The war in Ukraine and related sanctions and import controls imposed against Russia have turned business operations in the region upside down, forcing companies to react. Recognizing the region’s turmoil and in an effort to establish the region as an indispensable component of East West Trade, nations in the region are courting U.S. businesses to relocate regional headquarters in Moscow to capitals further south.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are actively seeking increased U.S. investment and are looking for partners to help provide technology and construction services for logistics hubs, cargo terminals, shipping freighters, techno farming and precision agriculture, and mining operations. 

For years, multilateral development banks have been investing in the region, but the recent crisis has necessitated dedicating increased funds toward infrastructure projects. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has recently approved a $120 million loan for solid waste management improvements in Uzbekistan and has committed transportation project funds to Kazakhstan. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) continues to increase funds dedicated toward developing an economic cooperation corridor across the region. 

New supply chains and trade routes crisscrossing Eurasia through the Caspian and Black Seas are being created to bypass Russia. Central Asia needs U.S. technological expertise to modernize existing infrastructure to handle expected increases in trade flows. In 2022, Kazakhstan will commission 165 new projects in infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, and mining. Uzbekistan is currently seeking partners for 544 projects in construction, manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, and farming. Trade is increasing across the region and opportunity is plentiful for U.S. companies to provide technology, services, and material handling equipment like forklifts and cranes to regional railway hubs, airports, seaports, and border crossings. 

For more information about these projects contact the U.S. Commercial Service Kazakhstan at office.almaty@trade.gov.

For Uzbekistan, contact Yaprak.cakilcioglu@trade.gov or andrew.glass@trade.gov