The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also emphasized that this year it is planned to attract $50 billion in foreign investments into the country's economy. According to him, new projects should focus on producing high value-added goods for export, effectively use resources, and create well-paid jobs.
Officials were instructed to pay attention to the agreements reached during the president's foreign trips. For example, Uzbekistan has agreed on joint business initiatives with Turkey worth $9 billion and with Pakistan for nearly $1.5 billion this year.
Control over the implementation of projects should be carried out at all stages, not just at the moment of their launch. To this end, it is planned to create a unified platform for "National Project Management," which will allow tracking each initiative for three years after its start.
The president noted that according to an analysis conducted by Franklin Templeton, which manages the National Investment Fund, there is significant unrealized potential in the country in the areas of corporate culture, logistics, digitalization, and energy efficiency. Therefore, 19 heads of strategic enterprises were instructed to eliminate identified shortcomings and achieve a reduction in production costs by 10-15%.
Special attention was paid to energy efficiency issues. A task was set to develop a three-year program to be implemented in small and medium-sized enterprises. This year, it is necessary to save 100 million cubic meters of gas and 500 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The regulatory authorities also noted that 917,000 streetlights across the country consume a lot of resources, with some remaining on even during the day. Plans are in place to install solar panels, batteries, and sensors that will automatically regulate the operation of the lights depending on the level of illumination.
The president also emphasized the importance of state procurement. Despite the fact that the share of local products in the overall system has reached 68%, in some institutions this figure is less than 40%. This concerns the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, the companies "Uztransgaz," Uzbekistan Airways, and others. The head of state stressed that the leaders of such organizations must rid themselves of the outdated notion that "foreign is always better quality."
Although over the past three years, Uzbekistan's industry has increased by 21%, in some regions the growth does not exceed 10%. Therefore, the president ordered to approve plans for industrial growth at a level of at least 8.5% for districts and regions, as well as to evaluate the work of local officials based on identified problems and their solutions.
According to the president, in January, the annual inflation rate was 7.2%, which is largely related to the rise in food prices, especially for meat. In this regard, the Ministry of Economy was instructed to proactively identify risks, conduct ongoing market analysis, and form demand forecasts, as well as develop a balance of key food items.
Discussing the overall economic situation, Mirziyoyev noted that by the end of 2025, the country's gross domestic product is expected to grow by 7.7%, reaching $147 billion. This year, a growth of 6.6% is anticipated, up to $167 billion, taking into account the current geopolitical situation and external economic instability.
