Kazakhstan is rolling out a huge investment plan in the Mangystau Region, with 24 transport and tourism projects worth a massive 1.9 trillion tenge (about $3.6 billion) already underway. During his recent visit to the Aktau International Sea Port on April 18, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was updated on the progress by Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev. These efforts are part of the country’s broader push to position itself as a key logistics and transit hub between Europe and Asia.

One major driver behind this push is the rapid growth of the Trans-Caspian International Trasnport Route. In just the past year, cargo traffic through the corridor jumped 62%, hitting 4.5 million tons. That includes 358 container trains and 27,000 vehicles. Officials expect this to more than double by 2028, so the government is stepping up its game, building a new container terminal in Aktau that will boost capacity from 140,000 to 240,000 containers. At the same time, a brand-new airport is under construction in the Kendirli resort zone, aimed at handling 150 passengers an hour and connecting to Almaty and Astana through regular flights.