Tokayev’s Address: 6.5 Trillion Tenge from the National Fund for Infrastructure, Minimum Wage Hike
October 29, 2026
Free Eurasia Editorial Team
In an address on October 28, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed allocating about 6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund to infrastructure modernization through the end of 2029 and raising the monthly minimum wage from 85,000 to 110,000 tenge as of January 1, 2027. These are large-scale plans whose implementation will depend on budget decisions and subsequent projects.
Where the funds are expected to go
In his annual address to the Kurultai and the government, Tokayev identified infrastructure, energy and social spending as priorities for the next period. The text published on the president’s website says about 6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund is planned through the end of 2029. Of that amount, 1.5 trillion tenge is expected to be earmarked for social projects in 2026 and the first two months of 2027. The president proposed naming the nationwide construction program “People’s Construction.”
The areas the head of state linked to modernization include transport networks, utilities, social facilities and energy. For residents, the value of these plans will depend not only on the total sum, but also on which projects are included, where they are located and how they improve access to services. For now, the announcement concerns an instruction to prepare a plan and stated priorities, rather than completed facilities or funds already allocated among regions.
The full address is published on the Akorda website. The government resource gov.kz also summarizes its main points, including the amount and timeframe. Independent reports by VRK News and The Astana Times describe the program as a central element of the address.
Minimum wage and social commitments
Another point in the address concerns the monthly minimum wage. The president instructed the government to raise it from the current 85,000 to 110,000 tenge at the start of 2027. The official summary says the measure could affect about 1.8 million people. Tokayev also said he intends to increase pay for primary health-care specialists by up to 40 percent. The details and funding sources for these changes are to be set out in subsequent government decisions and budget documents.
This matters to lower-income households, but a nominal pay increase alone does not show how much purchasing power will rise. Assessing that would require data on prices, taxes and changes in real income. The announced figures should therefore be treated as policy targets, not income already received by the public.
The main question is budget execution
The use of National Fund resources makes project selection rules, contract transparency and oversight of results especially important. The address outlined the overall scale of funding, but public assessment of the program will depend on whether the list of projects, timelines and costs is made public. Another question is how borrowing and budget instruments will be combined with transfers from the fund, and how authorities will assess the long-term benefits of the investment.
One point of context is that some brief summaries gave different figures for the proposed spending. The full text of the address on Akorda specifies about 6.5 trillion tenge through the end of 2029. This article therefore uses the primary document rather than earlier reports published before the full text became available. Individual budget decisions may further clarify the spending structure.
Practical measures of implementation will include timely approval of the plan, publication of specific projects and regular reporting on spending. For residents, new roads and buildings matter, but so does sustainable funding for their operation, including maintenance, utilities and staffing. Without those elements, capital spending may not lead to lasting improvements in everyday services.
What is known so far
As of October 29, the confirmed points are the date of the address, the proposal to use 6.5 trillion tenge from the National Fund, the target period through the end of 2029 and the intention to raise the minimum wage from January 1, 2027. The government still has to develop and present specific decisions. Their terms, oversight mechanism and implementation schedule have yet to be disclosed. The program’s impact can therefore be assessed as official documents and data on actual spending become available.
