Uzbekistan’s economic transformation is moving from “attract capital” to “execute with discipline” — and that institutional shift may be more important than the headline numbers. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev set a target of $50 billion in foreign investment for 2026, with a 2026 GDP goal of $167 billion based on 6.6% projected growth. The economy closed 2025 at $147 billion with inflation easing to 7.3%. Mirziyoyev instructed that every project in the 2026 investment program undergo comprehensive analysis covering market demand, export potential, value creation and job generation.
The more interesting piece: a new Unified National Project Management Platform that will monitor every investment project not only through delivery but for three full years post-launch. This is uncommon in emerging markets, where public investment programs frequently stumble at the transition from construction to operations. By embedding multi-year benefits-realization tracking into national governance, Uzbekistan is signaling that it has read the case studies of failed megaprojects elsewhere.
The execution is already visible on the ground. In March, Uzbekistan commissioned 42 energy facilities worth a combined $11 billion, including the Bash, Zhangeldi and Karatau wind plants and a Battery Energy Storage System in Tashkent. The country plans to deploy an additional 17,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2030, supported by roughly $35 billion in clean energy investments already secured. On the transport side, the World Bank approved a $200 million project on March 23, 2026 to modernize 91 km of the M41 regional corridor in Surkhandarya, connecting Uzbekistan with Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan. The country climbed from 129th to 88th place on the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index between 2014 and 2023.
Why it matters: Uzbekistan is the most credible “Middle Corridor” play in Central Asia and increasingly the preferred destination for Gulf capital — particularly Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, which is anchoring much of the renewables build-out. The combination of institutional reform, locked-in financing, and geographic positioning between China, Russia, the Caspian and South Asia makes it structurally interesting for the next decade.
🔗 Primary source: PM Global News — Uzbekistan Sets $50bn Investment Target for 2026 🔗 Deep dive: World Bank — Uzbekistan to Modernize Transport Infrastructure