BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24. StrategEast plays a key role in developing and promoting Central Asian countries as reliable providers of digital services, President of the organization Anatoly Motkin told Trend in an exclusive interview.
“StrategEast's most ambitious project in Central Asia focuses on developing and promoting the region as a reliable provider of digital services, supported by USAID's Future Growth Initiative. We also highlight Central Asia's capability to develop products of interest to other countries. To achieve this, we conduct research and provide recommendations to international financial institutions and government development agencies, such as in our 'The billion in the distance: Central Asian IT exports and strategies for growing them' report. Our goal is to offer guidance on how these countries can foster the dynamic growth of their IT industry,” he said.
Motkin also mentioned that StrategEast follows its own recommendations, establishing partnerships with major global vendors to support the development of Central Asia's IT ecosystem. One notable project involved training 2,000 students in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in collaboration with Google, resulting in all participants earning Google certificates of completion.
“We are now planning to launch a partnership project with Oracle Academy. This initiative aims to train professors from Central Asian universities, enhancing their knowledge to meet the standards of international IT companies seeking to hire their graduates. Additionally, we intend to help these universities align their curricula with the expectations of the global IT industry.
Another project that StrategEast is proud of involves attracting large engineering and IT companies to the Central Asian region. These companies not only provide specialists with advanced knowledge but also create jobs. Through this program, we support the countries' efforts to promote Central Asia as a reliable provider of digital services and assist regional startups in entering new markets and attracting investors," said the organization's president.
He mentioned that another significant recent project for StrategEast is establishing a digital bridge between Central Asia and the Gulf countries.
He also highlighted the emergence of several unicorn companies (startups valued at over $1 billion) in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
“The emergence of each unicorn company fuels exponential growth and heightened interest in the IT industry within these countries. Thanks to the vigorous efforts of Uzbekistan's High-Tech Park and the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications, Uzbekistan is increasingly becoming a significant player on the global outsourcing map. It is crucial that not only local IT companies are involved in attracting new clients, but this initiative has also gained support at the state level,” he added.
He stated that Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other countries in the region have realized that collaborating and promoting themselves collectively is far more effective and easier than doing so individually. He pointed out that institutions like the Silkroad Innovation Hub in California (US) and the Al-Farabi Innovation Hub in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), along with other initiatives, are already benefiting all countries in the region, not just their founders.
The StrategEast president emphasized that Central Asia and the Caucasus can achieve significantly more by working together.
When asked about the measures needed to develop the IT industry in less developed Central Asian countries like Tajikistan, Motkin noted that there are substantial drivers for digital transformation in these nations.
"In Tajikistan today, there is a political will to develop the IT industry. The country has adopted a strategy for the development of artificial intelligence, which is incredibly important," he emphasized.
Motkin mentioned that the zypl.ai startup, the State Business Incubator of Tajikistan, and the recently launched IT skills training platform Technohub Dushanbe are all operational in the country.
However, he believes this is not sufficient for Tajikistan to catch up with its neighbors in digital transformation. Achieving this requires not only political will but also support from international financial institutions and development agencies, as well as the advancement of the academic environment, especially in fundamental sciences like math, physics, and chemistry.
"In general, we see very motivated young people in Tajikistan; they just need support. As part of our contribution, in addition to attracting international experts and inviting Tajik IT specialists to various international IT events and programs, StrategEast has also initiated a series of quarterly donor meetings in Dushanbe to discuss how we can assist the republic in developing its IT industry. The first meeting was held in March, and the results showed that all donors in the country are keen on developing the IT sector as the most promising opportunity for Tajikistan to create new prospects for its talented youth," StrategEast's president added.
Motkin noted that in addition to the projects StrategEast is currently implementing, the organization plans to assist Central Asian officials in mastering artificial intelligence tools developed by global technology leaders such as Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
"Alongside government officials who require AI tools for their work, we will soon launch several programs to train students and developers in Central Asian countries in the most advanced technologies. These technologies will enable them to compete effectively in the global IT market.
We will also continue to facilitate the entry of service and product companies from Central Asian countries into the Persian Gulf market, where new opportunities are emerging for them," he concluded.
To note, StrategEast is a leading independent organization dedicated to developing Eurasia's digital economy in collaboration with international financial institutions, development agencies, global technology companies, and Eurasian governments.
StrategEast is a non-profit organization with offices in the US, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
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