Unlocking Kyrgyzstan’s potential through Critical Minerals and strategic planning
2025
The global transition to clean energy is creating opportunity for mineral-rich nations such as Kyrgyzstan to diversify their economies and contribute to resilient, low-carbon industries.
Context & Opportunity
While gold accounts for 40% of Kyrgyzstan’s exports, the country is home to more than 20 critical minerals essential for green technologies, including lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements – used in batteries, energy storage, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and many more applications. This highlights a significant opportunity to diversify and expand its role in global markets.
Growth Gateway worked closely with Kyrgyzstan’s Government to formulate a long-term National Development Strategy to 2050, aimed at driving inclusive economic growth, regional connectivity, and sustainability. Strategic development pathways to achieve Kyrgyzstan’s long-term goals were identified e.g., a £22Bn+ GDP by 2030, while positioning Kyrgyzstan as a regional hub for green energy and sustainable infrastructure. Achieving these goals will require targeted investment, policy reform, and capacity-building at scale.
To operationalise these ambitions, Growth Gateway identified critical minerals as a high-potential entry point for investment, reform, export, and job creation. Kyrgyzstan’s natural endowment, coupled with rising global demand, positions the sector as a strategic lever to diversify the economy and integrate into resilient global supply chains, unlocking opportunities for UK investment and expertise, with ongoing reforms positioning Kyrgyzstan as a resilient and trusted global partner.
Key Sector Highlights
Exports
~40%
of exports from gold — diversification needed
Potential
20+
critical minerals prioritised for export
Pipeline
£30B+
potential in investment projects across key sectors
Support Provided
Shaped Kyrgyzstan’s 2050 National Development Strategy
To achieve the long-term growth plan, Growth Gateway has:
- Supported formulation of the 2050 National Development Strategy, including 2030/2040 roadmaps, sector action plans, and measurable targets
- Designed a national economic modelling tool linking public investment to GDP and job creation
- Analysed 485 projects across energy, transport, agriculture, expected to create 440,000 jobs
- Integrated gender analysis, projecting women’s labour force share to rise from 38.3% to 42.3% by 2050
This delivered in close collaboration with the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and senior leadership – equips the government to plan and deliver inclusive growth at scale.
Developed a National Critical Minerals Strategy
Recognising Kyrgyzstan’s rich natural endowment and rising global demand, Growth Gateway supported the development of a Critical Minerals Strategy to unlock the high-potential sector and attract investment, laying the foundation for widescale reforms across:
- Licensing and regulatory alignment
- Geological data digitalisation and open access
- Institutional and workforce capability building
- Value added production and regional infrastructure
- Investor outreach and international partnerships
Engaged UK Investors into Critical Minerals Project Pipeline
To promote UK collaboration, the intervention provided targeted support to position priority projects for engagement:.
- Developed an investor roadmap and investment cases for three priority projects (Kutessay II, Kalesay, and North Aktash) valued at £360M+
- Mapped UK supplier and service opportunities across the value chain, including mining equipment providers, geological services, processing technologies, etc.
- Linked the pipeline to UK Export Finance’s new facility for Kyrgyzstan
Key plans are now in place, with senior Kyrgyzstan officials and the UK Ambassador committed to advancing the country’s critical minerals strategy.
Impact Achieved
£30 Billion +
investment opportunities identified
Government delivery unit established
led by a PM-chaired Steering Committee
£360 Million +
investment opportunities promoted across 3 priority projects
