As the world’s largest landlocked country, and with a sparse population disbursed across the vast land, Kazakhstan faces high costs and challenges in accessing global markets and delivering domestic public services. The national priority is improved transport networks to help reduce transport costs and facilitate movement.

ADB's country partnership strategy (CPS), 2012-2016, for Kazakhstan is designed to make the economy more competitive and diverse in order to sustain growth and create jobs. It defines a new development partnership with ADB that is relevant and responsive to Kazakhstan’s goal of transitioning to a high-income country.