Panel session on "Measures to support the creative sector of the economy" was held within the framework of the Digital Almaty 2023 forum

On February 3, a panel session on "Measures to support the creative sector of the economy" was held within the framework of the Digital Almaty 2023 forum. The organizers of the session are the Akimat of Almaty, JSC "NMH "Baiterek" and Qazaqstan Investment Corporation.

The speakers of the session: Berik Soltanbayev, Head of the Entrepreneurship and Investment Department of the Akimat of Almaty, Kairat Kulbayev, event producer, Irina Sosnovaya, producer and showrunner of the Start video service, Katerina Suvorova, documentary film director, Almas Zhali, manager of Brave Talents and Brave Engineering, Aizatullah Hussein, creator of the releasing label ÕZEÑ. The session was moderated by the Director of Born Nomad and Kazakhstan Brand Incubator - Aika Alemi.

During the lively discussion, the speakers discussed the prospects for development of the creative industry in Kazakhstan, and also presented their vision of financial and non-financial support tools aimed at creating favorable conditions for growth and scaling of creative industry projects.

In his turn, Berik Soltanbayev shared a brief overview of the main tasks of the "Almaty City Development Program until 2025 and medium-term prospects until 2030", approved in September 2022, where the creative industries and IT sector became one of the priority areas of development.

"Today we set ourselves the task of transforming the urban economy from trade and service to the development of professional competencies."

Thus, the Program provides:

- Formation of an ecosystem for development of creative industries and IT.

The opening of new spaces for creativity, development of educational programs, creation and support of communities of creative people, including financial.

- Financing startups by creating a venture fund and a crowdfunding platform.

As financial measures to stimulate new projects, the Akimat of Almaty plans to create a city venture fund with an initial capitalization of 10 billion tenge, of which 50% will be private funds. The fund's investments will be concentrated in five areas – in the field of cinema, music, performing arts, digital entertainment, design and fashion.

- Creating conditions for attracting private investment.

For example, the Program includes plans to attract investment in the creation of video and sound recording studios, construction of private creative hubs, Digital City IT quarter, and many others.

- Updating educational programs, changing the approach to training in universities and colleges of the city with the transition from the traditional system of knowledge to a more flexible system of education for fulfillment of creative element.