The effectiveness of reforms and priority tasks in Navoi region were discussed

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on February 10 on the ongoing work and further priority tasks for the socio-economic development of the Navoi region.

Before, when we talked about the industry of the Navoi region, we mainly meant such large industrial enterprises as the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Plant, “Navoiyuran”, “Navoiyazot”, “Kyzylkumcement”. Investments, jobs, and economic growth were directly related to the activities of these enterprises.

As a result of the ongoing work on the comprehensive development of territories, diversification of the economy and the identification of new growth points, the volume of regional investments not related to the activities of large industrial enterprises reached $1.4 billion in 2025. The goal is to bring this figure to $2 billion in 2026.

At the same time, macroeconomic stability was ensured in the region last year. The volume of gross regional product increased by 7.7 percent and amounted to 168 trillion soums. An increase in industrial production was recorded by 8.3 percent, agriculture by 4.7 percent, and the service sector by 13.7 percent. 161 thousand new jobs were created, the unemployment and poverty rate dropped to 4.2 percent.

The President of our country especially emphasized the need for the development of each region and city based on their comparative advantages.

In particular, Nurata and Gazgan have great potential in the field of decorative stones and tourism, in Tamdy and Uchkuduk - in the mining industry, in Navbahor - in the textile industry and horticulture, in Kanimekh - in pastoralism, in Zarafshan - in jewelry and IT, in Karman - in the chemical industry and cultural tourism, and in the city of Navoi - in mechanical engineering and the service sector.

At the same time, it is emphasized that industrial development remains uneven across regions. Although the volume of industrial output per capita in the region is 177 million soums, in the Tamdyn, Nurata, Khatyrchin, Navbakhor and Kyzyltepa districts this figure remains below the national average. At the same time, Tamdy and Nurata are rich in natural resources such as marble, quartz and basalt.

In this regard, proposals have been approved to create an industrial granite park on an area of 50 hectares in the Nurata region, a granite processing cluster and a market for decorative stones, as well as to create a small industrial zone on an area of 50 hectares in the Khatyrchinsky district and locate in it high-yield projects worth $100 million. The task has also been set to multiply the production of decorative stones.

To provide these capacities with qualified personnel, a center for training specialists for the mining and chemical industries will be created at the Navoi College of Digital Technologies.

The importance of attracting $4.2 billion in foreign investment to the region this year and bringing export volumes to $1.5 billion.

At the meeting it was noted that it is necessary to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the region, to expand their participation in localization processes.

It was indicated that existing opportunities in agriculture are not fully used, while the 9 million hectares of pastures available to the region are enough to turn sheep, camel and horse breeding into an economic driver. In order to develop livestock farming, small cattle, pedigree camels and horses will be imported in 2026, and 150 billion soums will be allocated for the construction of wells in pastures.

In total, 3.3 million hectares of pastures in the region will be included in agricultural circulation based on a project approach. It was instructed to implement measures to combat desertification based on Chinese experience in this area.

Navoi region is considered one of the leading regions of the country in the field of education. Enrollment in higher education is 71 percent; last year, graduates of 10 schools achieved a 100 percent result in enrolling in universities.

Starting from the new academic year, it is proposed to open specialized classes in the cities of Navoi and Zarafshan on the principle of “One school - one IT class.” To this end, 100 teachers in the region will improve their skills in the field of IT and artificial intelligence in the capital and abroad, and a full-time educational program on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity will be launched at the branch of the Tashkent University of Information Technologies in Zarafshan.

The tourism sector was also discussed at the meeting. In 2026, it is planned to attract 600 thousand foreign and 3 million local tourists to the Navoi region, create 72 new accommodation facilities and 500 new jobs.

To this end, shopping, entertainment and recreational facilities will be built on the streets connecting 65 mahallas located in regional and city centers, on coastal and roadside areas. In addition, guest houses will be organized in 18 mahallas with high tourism potential. The work of trade and service facilities will also be established in 15 mahallas along international roads.

It is planned to open a national embroidery center in the Nurata district, to develop the Langar and Angidon mahallas with a focus on tourism in the Khatyrchinsky district, and to turn 4 villages into tourist villages in the Nurata and Kanimekh districts.

It was noted that in Navbakhor, which is included in the category of areas with difficult conditions, it is possible to develop a master plan for the creation of a recreational zone around Sarmyshsay, which will increase the tourist flow three times and create over 200 jobs.

It is noted that Alisher Navoi Park, Lake Yoshlik and the adjacent areas in the city of Navoi do not fully meet modern requirements. The importance of creating a comfortable and modern infrastructure for recreation of the population through the development of these places based on a single concept was emphasized.

The city of Karman has great potential for the development of tourism. Since Karmana in ancient times was located along the Great Silk Road, there is an opportunity to attract the attention of tourists traveling from Samarkand to Bukhara and increase the duration of their stay by one more day. In this regard, the proposal to create a cultural and tourist center “Ancient Karmana” on the basis of the khanaka of Kasym-Sheikh and the mausoleum of Mirsaid Bakhrom, the old city market and the Yangi Avlod park was supported.

It was emphasized that, taking into account the experience of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, it is necessary to develop tourism in deserts and pastures, which occupy a significant part of Navoi region.

Instructed to continue work to improve social and engineering infrastructure. In particular, in 2026-2028 it is planned to gradually replace 312 kilometers of water pipes and 124 kilometers of sewer pipes in the cities of Navoi, Zarafshan, Uchkuduk and Zafarabad with new ones. The task has also been set to create modern sanitary conditions in all schools, kindergartens and medical institutions in the region.

At the end of the meeting, having approved the announced plans and proposals, the head of our state emphasized that their implementation should bring concrete changes to the life of the population, and gave appropriate instructions to officials.