GROWTH SCENARIOS: AMM FORESIGHT SESSION COLLECTS PROPOSALS FOR REFORMING THE MINING AND METALLURGICAL SECTOR

Written on 16 June 2025.

THE BUSINESS PROGRAM OF THE AMM 2025 CONGRESS CONCLUDED WITH THE “FORESIGHT SESSION: SUMMING UP”, WHICH CAN BE CALLED ONE OF THE KEY SESSIONS.

Its special feature was that the speakers were the moderators of the panel sessions, who collected the results of their discussions with the Congress participants. All of these are actually ready-made strategic proposals for reforming the mining and metallurgical industry. The session was moderated by Turar Zholmagambetov, the Director of Strategic Development at Qarmet. Below are some quotes from its participants.

• Galymzhan Torebek, the Deputy Chairman of the Industry Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, spoke about future mining projects: this is a graphite deposit - one of the cleanest in the world, as well as molybdenum with foreign partners - major global players. He also noted the growing role of the Congress for the industry: “Previously, AMM was more of a platform for domestic business. Now foreign delegations come with dozens of companies with whom we are in dialogue”.
• Kanat Baitov, the Executive Director of the Dragmet Association: “We have already held the sixth Forum of gold miners. In terms of gold production volumes at Kazakhstani enterprises, we have reached the level of 70 tons per year. Previously, this was fantasy, and no one believed in it. But now, for several years now, we have been producing refined gold, and even increasing production. The next stage is to increase processing in the jewelry industry; there is gold – we need to create added value”.
• Timur Odilov, the partner at Haller Lomax: “Our session was organized in such a way as to ask current and new investors – domestic and foreign, who believed in the subsoil use reform in Kazakhstan, what they expect from Kazakhstan and why they invest in new projects. Everyone had the same answer: “We need stability in the rules of the game and gradual progress. We came to these conditions and want to continue to develop in them, without turning back”.
• Nikolay Radostovets, the Executive Director of the Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises: “What is happening now requires that a consolidated document be created based on the results of the Congress – it is not enough to gather and exchange opinions. The public should know that at AMM we consolidated the industry opinion. We must all take part in this, uniting the constructive nature of our mining and metallurgical community. There are many issues that require solutions and reforms”.
• Viktor Kovalenko, the Regional Director for Climate Change and Sustainable Development Services in Central Asia at EY: “We discussed what Kazakhstan needs to develop the critical minerals sector. Together with the participants, we highlighted that we need an assessment of reserves according to international standards, that is, a high-quality assessment, we need breakthrough technologies. We need to focus on the efficient use of water resources, the development of qualified personnel, the promotion of junior companies and the overall development of metallurgy in the country. For the industry, it is important to have clear rules of the game from the state, without drastic changes in legislation, as well as the development of infrastructure for extraction and transportation”.
• Yerlan Galiyev, the Chairman of the Board of the National Geological Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan: “Many speakers noted that the development of geology should be one of the priority tasks for Kazakhstan. After all, knowledge of the subsoil creates the basis for the development of not only the investment climate, but also the entire economy as a whole”.
• Yerbol Ismailov, the Managing Director of Qarmet: “As experts, we proposed reviewing and improving regulatory legal acts in the field of labor safety, as well as changing approaches to qualification requirements and certification. At the session on conflict management, we analyzed specific cases. The main conclusion: “silence is more valuable than gold”, since in the end it results in major reputational and production risks”.
• Alexandr Shurilov, the Chief Geologist, ERG Exploration: “Year after year, AMM sets and maintains high standards for the representativeness of the event. Geological exploration is such a broad topic that it cannot be covered in one session. But we were able to specifically touch upon the main aspects of geological exploration – innovative methods that are emerging, companies talked about their cases. We also considered related processes – social and environmental, which need to be taken into account when implementing projects”.

The foresight session became not just the final point of the business program, but an important platform for consolidating expert opinions and developing specific steps for the development of the industry. It is these formats that make AMM not only an annual meeting of professionals, but also a real tool for forming a strategic agenda for the entire mining and metallurgical complex of the country.

The event was organized by ITECA Kazakhstan Exhibition Company and its international partner - ICA Events Group of Companies.

Government partner: Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Gold Partners: Eurasian Group (ERG), Solidcore resources, KAZ Minerals, Kazzinc, CoreX Holding, Kazakhmys.

Silver Partners: Komatsu Central Asia, Hatch, Qarmet.

Bronze Partners: Telko Central Asia, SGS Kazakhstan, Fakoor Sanat Tehran Engineering, Dassault Systemes, Beeline Business Kazakhstan, TURANINDUSTRIAL.