Kazakhstan has significant oil and natural gas reserves. With sufficient export options, Kazakhstan can become one of the world's largest oil producers and exporters in the next decade. But the country’s strategic aspiration is to become a modern, diversified economy with a high value added and high-tech component, well integrated to the global economy.
Energy sector is viewed as a good basis to achieve this goal. The perspective of the Kazakhstan economy is closely connected with further integration into international economic relations, utilization of unique reserves of energy and mineral resources, vast possibilities to export industrial and agricultural products, employment of country's transit potential and availability of highly qualified professionals.
The main driver behind Kazakhstan's economic growth has been foreign investment, mainly in the country's booming oil and natural gas industries. Since independence from Soviet rule in 1991, Kazakhstan has received more than 30 bln. USD of foreign direct investment – the highest per capita indicator in the former Eastern Bloc.

Accelerated Industrial Innovation Program for 2010-2014
The President of Kazakhstan instructed his government in 2010 to work out and implement the Accelerated Industrial Innovation Program for 2010-2014. Until 2014, the government plans to implement 294 investment projects worth 8.1 trillion KZT.
161,000 new permanent jobs will be created and 207,000 new jobs will be available for the period of construction. The main outcome of the first year of the industrial five-year plan is the commencement of serious structural changes in the economic growth based on the real sectors of the economy.