President Mirziyoyev Unveils New Talent Development Strategy to Build Uzbekistan’s Future Leadership

Tashkent, The Gulf Observer: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed a comprehensive package of measures aimed at identifying, training, and promoting a new generation of talented managers and public sector leaders, while strengthening support for gifted youth through the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation.

During a presentation, President Mirziyoyev was briefed on plans to modernize Uzbekistan’s national personnel system in line with the country’s transition towards a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation, advanced technologies, and intellectual potential.

Officials noted that Uzbekistan currently attracts more than $50 billion in annual investment, with exports approaching $40 billion, alongside the establishment of modern industrial enterprises, underscoring the growing need for highly qualified managerial personnel.

The presentation highlighted significant progress in digitalising public sector recruitment, including the creation of a unified electronic database covering 87,700 civil servants. Recruitment into the civil service is now conducted through transparent, merit-based competitions that evaluate candidates’ knowledge and professional competencies while eliminating human bias.

President Mirziyoyev was informed that artificial intelligence has been used to identify workforce needs across sectors and regions, revealing demand for managers in more than 50 modern specialisations, particularly in renewable energy, green technologies, construction, urban development, agriculture, water management, digital transformation, and the services sector.

The President stressed that the absence of a well-prepared leadership reserve could negatively affect governance, reduce institutional efficiency, and weaken decision-making processes.

As part of the reforms, Uzbekistan plans to replace the traditional personnel assessment system based on personal records with a comprehensive portfolio-based evaluation model. Under the new approach, candidates will be assessed using a 100-point digital scoring system that evaluates professional expertise, work experience, psychological characteristics, strategic thinking, and leadership capabilities.

Officials said artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and business intelligence tools will be employed to identify high-potential professionals and develop personalised career development plans. The new assessment model will initially be introduced in the agriculture, higher education, and construction sectors.

The government also plans to identify 500 promising managerial candidates every two years, creating a national reserve of 1,500 next-generation leaders by 2030.

The presentation also unveiled the TOP-100 Open Competition, a transparent initiative designed to establish a national talent pool for senior leadership positions across agriculture, healthcare, entrepreneurship, the judicial system, education, information technology, and artificial intelligence.

Successful candidates will undergo testing, professional evaluations, interviews, and specialised training before being included in the national personnel reserve and considered for future leadership appointments.

President Mirziyoyev also highlighted the importance of engaging Uzbek professionals and students abroad, particularly those studying at the world’s top 100 universities, in strengthening the country’s future leadership.

To support this objective, a new “Students Abroad” module will be launched on the career.edu.uz platform from October 1, 2026, enabling Uzbek students overseas to connect with government institutions and private companies for internships and future employment opportunities.

The meeting also reviewed the ongoing transformation of the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation, which has significantly expanded opportunities for talented students. Following reforms introduced last year, the proportion of scholarship recipients studying at the world’s top 100 universities has increased from 30 percent to 80 percent. Over the past year, 447 talented young people have received scholarships through the foundation under the new selection system.

Officials also proposed aligning the foundation’s programmes more closely with regional and sectoral workforce needs by expanding targeted overseas education, co-financing tuition fees with major enterprises, and developing joint academic programmes with leading international universities.

Additional plans include providing small grants to support research, innovation, startups, and alumni initiatives, as well as introducing executive leadership programmes based on successful international models from Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Concluding the presentation, President Mirziyoyev instructed relevant authorities to ensure transparency and fairness in personnel selection, provide systematic support for talented professionals, and effectively utilise their expertise to accelerate Uzbekistan’s long-term national development.