Published in: Events

Tajikistan – Gateway to Central Asia

Author Admin

Published on: May 16, 2023

The Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), led by its President Ms Christina Tee and supported by Mr Callum Chen, President of the Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies (MCMTC), organised a Business Mission to Tajikistan from 2^nd – 10^th May 2023.

A total of 23 delegates from 11 companies participated in the Business Mission, which included the first ever participation from Malaysian companies in the Tajikistan International Universal Exhibition-Fair 2023, held in Dushanbe, the capital city of the Republic of Tajikistan, from the 4^th May to 7^th May 2023. Our Malaysian Pavilion was well received by visitors, including the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia. Our sincere appreciation to the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan (CCIT) who is the organizer of the Exhibition, Mr Jumakhonzoda Jamshed Jurakhon and his team, for the successful event and business mission.

See more about the Exhibition here from the Tajikistan media coverage: https://fb.watch/kmvFzERpqh/?mibextid=YCRy0i

Besides the Exhibition, we had a well-organized schedule with fruitful discussions with different government ministries led by their Deputy Ministers and high-level officials. We met officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Industry and New Technologies and the Ministry of Transport, as well as with the Chairman of National Bank of Tajikistan. Besides the high-level meetings, our delegates also had the opportunity to meet with 78 other representatives from various industries at the Business Forum organised by the CCIT. We also visited the bigger factories in Dushanbe and travelled out to Bokhtar in the Kathlon region to visit many different companies (SMEs and MNCs).

In Bokhtar, we were warmly welcomed by the Deputy Governor of the Kathlon Region and the Mayor/ Chairman of Bokhtar City, Mr. Barotzoda Fayzullo Rajab. We also visited Tursunzoda, another major city, where we were hosted by the Deputy Mayor. The hospitality of the people in the Republic of Tajikistan was simply amazing.

Overall, it was a very successful Business Mission with several offers of Joint Ventures providing opportunities in a market of at least 77.5 million people in Central Asia alone. Both MICCI and MCMTC signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan (CCIT), and we look forward to collaborating with their companies in the near future.

Key takeaways:

Tajikistan is the smallest country in terms of land area, amongst the 5 Central Asia states, land-locked and with a population of around 10 million and growing. Median age is 22.4 years old with almost 2/3 of population under 30 years old and literacy rate is 99.8%.
Agriculture still leads the economy. 60% of Tajikistan’s workforce contributes 30% of its GDP. Another 29% of its GDP is from remittances from the Tajik workers in Russia.
Natural resources – besides beautiful scenic mountains and lakes, Tajikistan is rich in metals and minerals. Mining is one of the oldest industries – gold, silver, antimony, aluminium and marble. Tajikistan also has the highest reserves of coal in Asia and some reserves of oil and gas. Tajikistan is mainly powered by hydroelectricity.

It is now an opportune time for Malaysians to bring our technology and our creativity to Tajikistan. With its young and talented workforce, huge potential of its natural resources and most importantly, its immediate proximity to the market of 77.5 million people in the Central Asia region alone, Tajikistan is ready for its transformation into an industrialised nation. There are plenty of opportunities for Malaysian companies to share our technology and know-how from our IR4.0 programmes (digitization, digitalisation and automation) and work together with them to transform their present industry and to springboard into the Central Asian market and beyond.

We wish to put on record our sincere appreciation and gratitude to his Excellency Mr. Ardasher S. Qodiri, the Ambassador of The Republic of Tajikistan in Malaysia, who had graciously arranged in advance with his Consul, Mr Sharipov Parviz and his team to ensure not only a smooth clearance at the Airport upon our arrival at 3:30am but also to accompany us throughout our Mission. We are grateful for the warm hospitality and the support from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan (CCIT) and the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan. We look forward to more successful collaborations.

Callum Chen

MCMTC President

The MCMTC (Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies) comprises MTCs (Mid-Tier Companies) from all industries. The MTCs form 1.7% of total companies in Malaysia and employ 16% of the total workforce, but contribute 39.9% of Malaysia’s GDP. Get in touch with us at www.mcmtc.my

From left: Christina Tee (MICCI President and MCMTC VP-Domestic), Callum Chen (MCMTC President),
First Deputy Minister of Transport, Martin Ang (MCMTC VP-International).

MOU signing between Chamber of Commerce Industry of Tajikistan and MCMTC