Official Development Assistance of the Republic of Kazakhstan to African countries
Kazakhstan is actively developing cooperation with neighboring countries of Central Asia, as regional stability, security, and sustainable development directly affect the well-being of the entire Central Asian region. In this context, Kazakhstan is gradually emerging as a new international donor that shares not only financial resources but also practical solutions in digitalization, education, healthcare, as well as humanitarian and cultural cooperation.
The geographic priorities of such assistance are закреплены at the state level in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On approval of the main directions of the state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of official development assistance.”
A practical example of this approach was the transfer in June 2024 of eGov electronic government modules to the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Togolese Republic under the KazAID brand. This project demonstrated that Kazakhstan’s digital solutions are in demand and applicable in different regions of the world, and also helped increase the Agency’s visibility while clearly showcasing Kazakhstan’s contribution to international cooperation in the field of digitalization.
Alongside the development of digital cooperation, Kazakhstan is consistently implementing the humanitarian and educational dimension of official development assistance. Under the “Study in Kazakhstan” program, 174 students from 19 African countries have been studying at leading Kazakhstani higher education institutions since 2021. To support such talent, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan annually allocates 550 targeted grants for foreign students (490 for bachelor’s programs, 50 for master’s programs, and 10 for PhD programs). Educational programs cover bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels and are aimed at training qualified specialists capable of contributing to the socio-economic development of their countries.