Startups are talent foundry for Kazakhstan, says Information Minister

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Minister of Information and Communications of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dauren Abayev revealed why IT specialists and startuppers are supported and will be supported in Kazakhstan, Kazinform correspondent reports.

"We aim toward changing the mental attitude. We fully realize that giants like Facebook or Google will not emerge here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. However, IT specialists' contribution to the so-called entrepreneurial culture is more important for us. Therefore, we aim at changing the mental attitude. This is very important," the minister said at the Digital Bridge International Innovation Forum in Astana.

Secondly, as the minister underlined, the government is absolutely sure that startups are an incredible talent foundry.

"That is the people who, in addition to technological thinking, also create certain things almost from scratch. They are our future," he emphasized.

Besides, the minister said that as Kazakhstan's market is small, all startups being set up will be aimed at going global.

"Thirdly, we realize that we have a small market, so all startups that will emerge will be aimed at global competitiveness. And we are creating all the conditions for that. I would like to say one very essential thing: what is important for us, for the government, for Kazakhstan is not even the infrastructure we create, not even the cable we lay (in three years we are to lay 20,000 kilometers of cables to prospective villages), or not even Astana Hub. We place the main emphasis on the development of human capital because you have a great future," the minister concluded.

The Digital Bridge International Innovation Forum is one of the major innovation events in Kazakhstan this year. On the dialogue platform, the participants discussed the latest global trends in the field of digitalization and shared best practices and business models.