Astana is stepping up efforts to develop Kazakhstan’s critical minerals industry. At a closed meeting of the Security Council, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on government officials to stop exporting resources in an unprocessed form and build a complete value chain—from exploration drilling to high-tech finished products. The global race for rare earth elements, he said, represents an opportunity that may disappear sooner than expected.
The president emphasized a simple reality: countries with large mineral reserves currently have a strategic advantage. Kazakhstan has one of the strongest resource bases in Central Asia, but Tokayev argued that the country cannot remain merely a supplier of raw materials.
Following reports from ministers on the state of the mining sector, the outlook for subsoil use, and long-standing industry problems, Tokayev issued a package of directives to the government. Officials were instructed to prepare a development roadmap for the sector, overhaul outdated regulations, and remove administrative barriers that have kept major projects stalled for years.
A particular focus was placed on mineral exploration. Without new discoveries, plans to expand domestic processing will have little foundation. Kazakhstan also intends to bring mine and processing waste accumulated over decades into economic use. Achieving this will require expanded laboratory capabilities and a new generation of engineers and specialists, who will be trained through a dedicated program.
Rare earth elements are no longer a niche issue limited to geologists. They have become a matter of national security and economic sovereignty, and Kazakhstan aims to join the group of countries that do not simply export raw minerals, but increasingly shape markets for higher-value processed materials and finished products.
Source: Exclusive.kz
Image: Akorda
