Uzbekistan Signs US$547 Million Public-Private Deals in Q1

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan signed agreements for 59 public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth a total of US$547.2 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which summarized PPP performance for January–March.

The projects have been officially included in the national PPP registry.

The majority of new agreements are focused on social and infrastructure sectors. The largest number of contracts—33 projects—are in education, with total investments of US$24.8 million. Additional projects are being implemented in agriculture, sports, culture, and healthcare, although these involve comparatively smaller financial volumes.

The most capital-intensive sectors were energy and transport. Energy projects accounted for US$357 million, while transport initiatives totaled US$134 million. Additional PPP initiatives are being developed in water management, utilities, and construction.

Several major infrastructure projects advanced during the reporting period. In the aviation sector, an agreement was signed to modernize and transfer management of Urgench International Airport, valued at US$134 million, involving South Korea’s ICN-Urganch Airport Services LLC FC.

Work is also ongoing on the New Tashkent international airport project, with participation from Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest, Japan’s Sojitz, and South Korea’s Incheon.

In the energy sector, Turkish Aksa Energy was selected as the winner of an international tender to modernize electricity networks in the Samarkand region and transfer their management to the private sector. The project is valued at US$357 million.

In healthcare, an international tender has been completed for the construction of a 800-bed multidisciplinary hospital in the Fergana region. The winning consortium is Vision-Koc-Rekeep. In the water sector, with support from the International Finance Corporation, a tender has been launched for the reconstruction and private management of 76 large pumping stations for the first time.

The report also highlighted monitoring efforts. Under the PPP law implementation framework, 193 projects were reviewed, most of them in Tashkent and the Samarkand region. The analysis found that private partners in 85 projects were either inactive or in the process of termination, and relevant proposals have been submitted to the government.

At the same time, digitalization of the sector is ongoing. A pilot electronic PPP platform has been launched, integrating all stages of project implementation. Four project concepts have already been submitted through the system, two have been published, and reporting for 900 projects is now conducted digitally.

The ministry noted that the Q1 results demonstrate the growing role of PPPs in the national economy, increased participation of foreign investors, and greater diversification of projects across multiple sectors.