Mirziyoyev Sets US$5B Investment Goal for Namangan in 2026

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a high-level meeting on reforms and priority development goals for Namangan region, setting specific targets for 2026 and outlining initiatives to diversify the regional economy.

Over the past eight years, more than 40,000 new enterprises have been launched in Namangan, with industrial output increasing sixfold to 40 trillion soums. In 2025, the region’s gross regional product reached 85.4 trillion soums, growing 8.2%, while services amounted to 56.3 trillion soums. Foreign investment totaled US$3.3 billion, and exports reached US$916 million.

For 2026, regional leadership is tasked with achieving 9.2% economic growth, 9% growth in industry, 16.3% in services, and 6.8% in agriculture. Tourist service exports are targeted to increase 1.7 times, while foreign investment is set at US$5 billion and exports at US$1.2 billion. Unemployment should decrease to 3.5% and poverty to 2.5% by year-end. Key districts, including Namangan city, Davlatabad, Yangi-Namangan, Namangan, Kasansay, Naryn, and Uychi, are tasked with eliminating unemployment and poverty.

The meeting emphasized leveraging artificial intelligence to analyze regional potential. As a pilot, Naryn district was highlighted for doubling investments, increasing industrial output by 10.4%, and raising exports by 35% within the year. This approach will be applied across all districts.

Major investment projects include constructing an additional electrical substation to support 15 projects valued at US$547 million in the Sabzazor area of Namangan’s free economic zone, where seven projects worth US$215 million are already underway. Plans also call for a US$20 million IT park to attract international tech companies and boost the startup ecosystem. Initiatives include a “smart city” in Davlatabad, an AI research lab, and a startup hub at Namangan State Technical University.

In agriculture, 2,500 hectares of low-yield land will be converted into intensive orchards, with 8,000 hectares of new land brought into cultivation. Over 2026–2027, orchards and vineyards will cover 3,948 hectares, with 1.3 million seedlings planted and 1,500 hectares equipped with drip irrigation. A US$50 million poultry complex producing 813 million eggs and 2,000 tons of meat annually will fully meet local demand and enable US$42 million in exports to Central Asia and the Arab world.

Tourism projects include a resort complex on Arashan lakes in Pap district, the Qamchiq Mountain Resort, and other centers across the region. Namangan’s old city will see a tourist complex combining traditional architecture and crafts with modern services, alongside eco-market upgrades for Chorsu and Sardoba markets.

Infrastructure plans under public-private partnership include reconstructing Namangan’s sewage system, connecting Uychi and Uchkurgan district centers to wastewater networks, building a 10,000 m³ treatment facility, laying 40 km of new pipelines, and upgrading 28 km of old networks, benefiting 42,000 residents and nearly 7,000 households. The “New Namangan” project will create 30,000 jobs, repair 25.2 km of roads, and develop 7.4 km of green zones.

Social initiatives include opening kindergartens for 15,000 children, establishing a Namangan branch of the Republican Trauma and Orthopedics Center, equipping the oncology center with a PET scanner, and renovating a multi-specialty medical center.

President Mirziyoyev instructed authorities to fully utilize the region’s potential, ensure tangible results from each project, increase employment and income, and expand the production of high-value export-oriented goods.