As reported by Spot, Shavkat Mirziyoyev is holding a meeting regarding the results of the year in the field of entrepreneurship support and plans in this direction for 2025.
This year, businesses purchased 3,000 state-owned properties and 4,000 hectares of land for a total of 11.5 trillion sums for new projects, the president announced. For the upcoming year, the privatization of an additional 4,500 buildings and the sale of 6,000 hectares of land is planned.
There are plans to increase the involvement of the private sector in the repair and maintenance of roads. In addition to the highways with a total length of 260 km, which have been entrusted to private companies for maintenance and current repairs, around 3,000 km is expected to be handed over.
All road repair work under the "Initiative Budget" project will be transferred to private contractors. Furthermore, they will also take on the construction of 841 km of local roads with the participation of the Asian Development Bank.
The modernization of the railway sector will also continue. It is expected that the digitization of the industry and the increase in its operational efficiency will reduce cargo delivery times by 40%.
The period for free unloading of goods at railway stations will be extended from two hours to three days. Preliminary estimates suggest that this will allow businesses to save 57 billion sums annually.
The role of the private sector in aviation is also increasing. The number of non-governmental airlines has reached 14, and this year they imported 22 aircraft—6 cargo and 16 passenger.
The airports of Bukhara and Namangan have already been transferred to the management of private companies, the president reported. Tenders for the management of the airports in Andijan and Urgench are ongoing.
All four airports were mentioned during the meeting with the head of state regarding aviation development, which took place in February. Previously, in October 2023, the president announced plans to upgrade six regional airports based on PPP by 2030.
The Saudi company Vision Invest signed a preliminary agreement in early May to conduct research at Andijan airport. Within six months, they promised to present project proposals for its modernization for review.
The tender for the management of Urgench airport began in August. According to Uzbekistan Airports, as of the end of November, 8 companies expressed interest in the project, of which 5 were allowed to submit proposals.
Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriyev announced in early September plans to open a tender for the modernization of Namangan airport by the end of the year. At that time, he also announced the construction of a new airport in Bukhara. In October, the head of Uzbekistan Airports, Javlonbek Umarhodjaev, stated that the feasibility study for the project is nearing completion.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included:
- banks will attract $6 billion from abroad for business loans;
- the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO is nearing completion;
- the excise tax on mobile communication is being abolished, while benefits for IT Park and private schools will be extended;
- Uzbekistan's GDP is projected to increase to $120 billion next year;
- a support center for accessing international financial markets will be established;
- Uzbekistan's mineral reserves are estimated at $1 trillion;
- there are plans to develop a project for a revised Customs Code.
Earlier, Spot reported that Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to resume operations at Zarafshan airport.