Government of Kazakhstan and ADB: Knowledge and Experience Exchange Program

Budget: $2,000,000

Duration: November 2020 – June 2024

TA Report: Joint Government of Kazakhstan and the Asian Development Bank Knowledge and Experience Exchange Program, Phase 4: Technical Assistance Report

Key Supported Activities:

• Regional Inequality Study for Kazakhstan. Through the application of a wide-ranging set of advanced indices, the study uncovered the particularities of territorial imbalances in Kazakhstan. The report identifies a polarization within Kazakhstan in terms of economic growth, employment, productivity, and competitiveness. It also indicates that some regions in the country may be at risk of falling into a development trap.
• A Policy Perspective on Venture Capital Financing in Kazakhstan. The paper contributes to Kazakhstan’s sustainable growth objectives by examining the national ecosystem for venture capital, analyzing the legal framework supporting venture capital investments, and discussing the importance of developing human capital that can effectively respond to a constantly evolving venture capital market. It provides a range of recommendations for how the current ecosystem can be bolstered to enable venture capital to flow into Kazakhstan.
• Development of recommendations for comprehensive statistics on the domestic e-commerce market. As a result of this project, the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) revised the following statistical forms of nationwide statistical observations: (i) "Report on electronic commerce" (E-commerce index with annual frequency); (ii) "Household survey questionnaire on the use of information and communication technologies” (H-020 index with annual frequency); (iii) “Quarterly questionnaire on household expenditures and incomes” (D-004 index with quarterly frequency). Based on the results of this project, BNS also developed the “Methodology for calculating indicators on e-commerce”, which was subsequently adopted by the Order of BNS №38 dated 13 December 2022.
• School Quality Assessment Platform Prototype. This study was developed on the back of Kazakhstan’s National Educational Database—a digital information system of administrative educational statistics with detailed and legally secured data on educational organizations, enrolment, students, and staff. It is the first preparatory step toward creating a national secondary education quality assessment framework. It proposes a scientifically proven approach and methods based on data availability, strengths, and weaknesses. The project developed a methodology for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of schools using clear criteria and assessment indicators.
• Training of 30 employees of Supreme Audit Chamber and Revision Commissions under Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) program. All the participants successfully completed the training, passed the exams and received the CIPFA certificates.
• Seminars on parallel financial investigations and identification of cash couriers for 45 employees from Agency for Financial Monitoring.
• Trainings for the Ministry of Information and Social Development and Civil Initiatives Support Center employees on (i) Monitoring and Evaluation of Social Projects for 20 participants; (ii) Project Management under IPMA program for 20 participants (out of which 11 were certified as IPMA D level project managers); (iii) Financial Management for 20 participants; (iv) Training of Trainers for 10 participants. All participants obtained certificates of corresponding course completion.
• Series of trainings for Bureau of National Statistics (BNS). First phase of training in descriptive data analytics using Qlik Sense (basic, advanced, and expert modules complemented by a practical module on creation of dashboards) for 50 participants was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023. The second phase, focusing on predictive analytics and data management, involved 30 participants and took place from April to July 2023. This phase covered key aspects of Data Science, including fundamentals of statistics for data analysis, principles of machine learning and model creation, data analysis and visualization techniques, the process of data cleaning and preparation for analysis, and methods of evaluating and interpreting models. As a result of the training program, BNS staff created 22 dashboards for different sectors and areas, including finance, agriculture, demography, GDP, trade, healthcare, employment, and construction. These dashboards are posted and regularly updated on the BNS website.
• Development of integrity check mechanism (ICM) for law enforcement officers. Team of international and national experts conducted a comparative overview of oversight mechanisms and integrity checks for police officers in 16 countries. In March 2023, consultants team presented the draft recommendations on ICM during a joint round table hosted by ADB and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), attended by 55 representatives from relevant state agencies. In June 2023, the initial draft of the law on integrity checks for law enforcement officers was submitted to the ACA. Following internal discussions and coordination, the government's Working Group, consisting of the General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Security Committee, Agency for Financial Monitoring, and Agency for Civil Service Affairs representatives, reviewed the draft law and provided suggestions. In August 2023, ACA submitted the revised draft law for approval to the Executive Office of the President. Following intragovernmental review procedures, the law will be submitted to the Parliament in early 2024.