In early February, the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan reviewed the performance of its tech park for the past year and shared future plans. In 2023, the IT park provided services worth US$1 billion, a 1.9-fold increase from 2022. We became curious—what achievements has the Tajik IT park made?
The IT sector has become one of the key drivers of economic growth in Uzbekistan. The government supports it by offering new benefits and expects IT service exports alone to reach $5 billion by 2030. The Uzbek government is creating favorable tax conditions and implementing numerous programs to support companies. The goal is to boost the country's economy and provide jobs for the skilled youth under 30, including those proficient in foreign languages.
Experts have calculated that there are now over 110,000 talented young IT specialists in Uzbekistan.
What has Uzbekistan achieved in five years?
By the end of 2023, the number of residents in Uzbekistan's IT park reached 1,652, including 426 companies with foreign capital involvement. The tech park provided jobs to 26,000 people, of whom 3,641 worked in the regions. The tech park's management plans to increase the number of residents to 10,000 by 2030 and create over 300,000 new jobs.
Moreover, Uzbekistan is building IT Villages, special places where children can learn IT skills and technologies from grades 1 to 9. The first IT Village appeared in the Nurabad district of Samarkand region.
Resident status in the IT park exempts companies from all types of taxes: corporate tax, income tax, social contributions, and VAT on imported goods. The only tax payable is a 7.5% personal income tax. For foreign investors, IT specialists, and startup founders, no work permit is required, and IT visas are valid for up to three years. A "one-stop service" helps foreigners register companies, obtain tax reports, open bank accounts, and secure office space.
Where else in Central Asia are Tech Parks Operating?
The first IT park in Kazakhstan was established back in 2003 in Almaty. Similar platforms later opened in other regions, and now the country has an entire system of such parks. Preliminary data shows that in 2023, Kazakhstan’s IT park exported IT services worth $500 million.
In Kyrgyzstan, a High-Tech Park with a special legal and tax regime opened in 2013. By the end of 2023, service exports totaled $87.1 million.
In Turkmenistan, the "Turkmen IT Park" was created in 2018, but there is no publicly available information about its operations.
What’s happening to IT Parks in Tajikistan?
The creation of Tajikistan's IT park has been discussed for the past four years. Back in 2022, Dushanbe authorities announced that the implementation of the IT park was entrusted to the state-owned enterprise "Smart City" under the Dushanbe mayor’s office.
In October of that year, Smart City informed "Asia-Plus" that the project had been transferred to the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies. Experts from the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies said they could not comment on the future of the IT park.
Meanwhile, during a summer press conference, the Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Sherali Kabir, stated that Tajikistan already has two IT parks: Pamir IT Park in Khorog and IT Park Dushanbe, located in the Sozidaniye Business Center.
He mentioned that Tajikistan is creating its own model, based on the practices of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and leading global countries, but with its own specific approach.
iPark has been operating in the Sozidaniye Business Center for already three years. This iPark belongs to the public "Innovation and Industry Development Fund" and is in the process of relocating to another office. It currently has 12 resident companies, 4 of which operate directly from the Fund's office. The park's premises serve as a sort of coworking space for leading IT companies in the capital. Other companies interact with the park remotely.
According to an IT expert, the Tajik iPark is not a traditional IT park in the usual sense. Traditional models typically offer various tax and customs benefits, a range of business services, and consulting, which are not yet available in iPark Dushanbe. The expert notes that the benefits should be comprehensive, covering salaries, taxes on activities and property, and the import of IT equipment and technologies.
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