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Kazakhstan's GDP per capita to exceed $8,400 in 2008 - president
Astana, December 30 2008
In 2008 the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita will exceed $8,400, said Nursultan Nazarbayev.
"We are going to finish this year with GDP at about 135 billion American dollars, or 8,400 dollars per capita. We have never reached this level before," Nazarbayev said in an interview with the Kazakh state-owned TV channels on Tuesday evening.
According to the president, the purchasing power parity in Kazakhstan is comparable to that in the Eastern European countries.
"We have cheaper electricity, food products, lower transport costs, etc. or we may multiply our GDP by two to arrive at 15,000 dollars, which brings us to the level of Eastern Europe," Nazarbayev explained.
He also said that in 2008 the inflation rate in Kazakhstan "will be below 10% per annum, maybe at 9.4% or 9.5%." "This is the target I set for the government this year," the president reminded.
Besides, the unemployment rate is decreasing in Kazakhstan, according to Nazarbayev. "This year's official data shows a decrease from 7.6% to 6.5% and we expect that the unemployment rate will keep falling," he said.
The president said that the next year the Kazakh government would have to successfully implement the anti-crisis program. "I have to say that, of course, we may try to mitigate (the effects of the crisis - Interfax-Kazakhstan) but our long-term development will only be possible when the situation in the rest of the world improves," the president stressed. "Everybody realizes that no one will be able to overcome the problems alone," he added.
Another important task for the government in 2009 will be "not to let the living standards of our people worsen," the president noted.
"Who is suffering from the crisis most of all both in Kazakhstan and all other countries? They are heavy industries. We have concluded agreements to 60 billion tenge and memoranda with all the enterprises so that they do not dismiss their workers (...) Of course, they (the enterprises - Interfax-Kazakhstan) may give layoffs to their employees or introduce a part-time work schedule but we recommended that they should re-train their employees in new professions. 4,000 people will get re-trained," Nazarbayev said.
Current FOREX rate is 120.77/$1.
The president called on the workers of the heavies industries "not to lose time but acquire a second and third professions." "That will always be helpful, especially now (...) We shall be thinking of giving them some public work," Nazarbayev said.
The president said that the next year Kazakhstan "will need to continue building schools, hospitals, motor roads, railways around the large cities where our people will be working."
The population of Kazakhstan tops 15.7 million.