Kazakhstan’s vice minister of industry and construction has set out the government’s priorities for the mining and subsoil use sector at the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum in Astana, anchoring the country’s strategy around a shift from raw material exports to domestic deep processing, legislative modernisation and the attraction of long-term strategic investors.
Speaking at the forum, Iran Sharkhan said Kazakhstan was moving decisively from a resource-based economic model toward value-added production. “The priority is deep processing of raw materials within the country, technology development and attracting strategic investors oriented toward long-term impact,” he said. He added that improving the investment climate remained a core government objective, pointing to amendments introduced in 2025 to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code aimed at refining sector regulation, stimulating investment and digitalising licensing procedures.
Two legislative changes stand out. The first is a transition from a mineral extraction tax to a royalty-based system, which officials say will improve transparency and make the sector more attractive for sustained investment, particularly in processing. The second is the formal establishment of a strategic investor status, granting preferential conditions to investors who commit to processing raw materials domestically — directly incentivising value chain development over simple extraction and export.
Kazakhstan’s mineral resource base encompasses approximately 10,000 registered deposits. In 2025, seventeen deposits were placed on the state register for the first time, including Kok-Zhon, Altyn-Shoko and Samombet. Geological survey coverage has now reached 2.038 million square kilometres against a 2026 target of 2.2 million square kilometres, with a transition to more detailed mapping scales planned to improve the identification of prospective areas. In 2026, auctions for subsoil use rights across 50 deposits are planned for exploration and hard mineral extraction. A modern laboratory complex is also under development in Astana on the basis of the National Geological Survey, with commissioning scheduled for 2028.
MINEX Kazakhstan 2026, running from 14 to 16 April, has brought together more than 500 participants, over 100 speakers, 40 exhibitors and more than 1,000 visitors from 33 countries, with sector reform, processing development and investment attractiveness as its central themes.
