Continuing the series of articles on the largest government procurement projects of Kazakh departments in 2024, the editorial board of the FBRC has analysed the spending of the Ministry of Culture and Information.
As a reminder, in the previous article, we examined the funding of the education system by the Ministry of Education, where the main focus was on the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) programme, with a budget of 41.96 billion tenge.
As for the Ministry of Culture, the undisputed leader in terms of funding volume was the maintenance of the national television and radio broadcasting network, which received 1.79 billion tenge. These funds were allocated to ensure the uninterrupted functioning and development of the country's state television and radio broadcasting.
Significant funds were also allocated to the state educational order for cultural and artistic institutions. The Almaty Music College named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky received funding of 1.07 billion tenge, the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography – 847.7 million tenge, and the Almaty Choreographic School named after Alexander Seleznev – 749.2 million tenge.
The ministry also allocated substantial funds to the Republican Variety and Circus College named after Zhusipbek Yelebekov – 573.6 million tenge and the Almaty College of Decorative and Applied Arts named after Oral Tansykbayev – 428.1 million tenge.
The department allocated 470 million tenge for the administration of the information system "Unified Electronic Document Archive", reflecting the drive towards digitalisation of the archive sector in the republic.
380.2 million tenge was set aside for operator services in the field of grant funding for film projects seeking recognition as national films, demonstrating support for the development of the national cinema industry. Also, 247.4 million tenge was allocated for operator services in the field of grant funding for other projects.
The preparation of the national report "Youth of Kazakhstan – 2024", including subsequent expert discussions and public opinion gathering, cost 200.1 million tenge.
It is also worth noting that 2024 was marked by serious corruption scandals within the ministry. Thus, in March 2024, former Vice-Minister of Culture and Sports Yerlan Kozhagapanov was detained on suspicion of abuse of official powers and embezzlement of over 1 billion tenge.
The charge related to lobbying for the interests of a commercial enterprise during the organisation of the XV Interregional Cooperation Forum between Kazakhstan and Russia in 2018, which led to a cost estimate being inflated by two times. In January 2025, it was reported that the investigation had concluded and the case was sent to court.
Furthermore, in June 2024, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Archives and Documentation of the Ministry of Culture and the director of an IT company were convicted for the embezzlement of more than 105 million tenge allocated for the development of an information system under the "Digital Kazakhstan" programme.
The perpetrators re-transferred budget money for already completed work, using fictitious acts. They were sentenced to 6.5 years in prison with confiscation of property and a lifelong ban from holding state and managerial positions.
But let us return to the department's spending. An analysis of the Ministry of Culture and Information's government procurement reveals a dual picture: on the one hand, we can observe significant funding for cultural institutions and educational programmes, demonstrating the priority of developing the cultural sphere for the state.
On the other hand, the corruption schemes uncovered in 2024, related to the distribution of government contracts, call into question the efficiency of using the allocated funds. Particularly concerning is the fact that the amount of embezzled funds in some cases is comparable to the funding of major educational and cultural projects. The priority given to television and radio broadcasting over other areas also points to the continuing importance of traditional media for state information policy, despite the global trend towards digitalisation.
To be continued...