Safia, one of Uzbekistan’s largest confectionery chains, plans to grow its Kazakhstan network from 11 to 25 branches by the end of this year, with each new location requiring between $100,000 and $150,000 in capital. Shymkent operations are already profitable; Almaty is expected to reach break-even before year-end.
A third of the country’s teachers have been rated unsatisfactory in their own subjects, base salaries remain well below a presidential pledge, and documented incidents of officials publicly humiliating educators have accelerated a flight from the profession that is hollowing out public schooling.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed six major energy project agreements totalling $4.7 billion and declared that reducing losses in the electricity grid will now be a central investment priority alongside launching new generation capacity.
The US dollar climbed above 12,000 sums on October 15 for the first time since late July, closing at 12,011.65 sums after an eight-day consecutive rally that reversed a prolonged decline stretching back to a three-year low recorded in September.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations from all 14 regions of Uzbekistan have completed a structured training program on public oversight, open data analysis, and anti-corruption legislative review, under a project jointly implemented by the Anti-Corruption Agency and international partners from Latvia and Kyrgyzstan.
