A country that spent the first years of its independence in civil war now counts about 300 hydropower plants, and the next thing it plans to build is an artificial intelligence center in its capital.
Emomali Rahmon set out that agenda on Sept. 8 at the National Theater in Dushanbe, where Tajikistan marked 35 years of independence. The president named industrialization, green energy, digitalization and artificial intelligence as the priorities ahead.
The starting point was brutal. Nearly five years of fighting shut down the machinery of government and drove out hundreds of thousands of trained people. Rahmon said families at the time were preoccupied with getting through the day. Poverty stood at 83 percent. It is now 19 percent. Growth has averaged more than 7.7 percent a year over the past 25 years, and S&P Global Ratings raised the sovereign rating last month from B to B+ with a stable outlook.
Industry thickened alongside. The 358 industrial enterprises counted in 1991 have grown to more than 4,000. Copper production and export began for the first time since independence, and iron production starts in 2027.
Energy is where the government has spent the most. Roughly 300 hydropower plants, the Dushanbe-2 combined heat and power station, and new solar capacity have added more than 2,300 megawatts. Total installed capacity now reaches 6,700 megawatts.
The centerpiece is the Rogun hydropower plant. The government expects that once its third unit starts running in 2027, the country will cover the electricity its people and industry need without imports. Two solar plants with a combined 500 megawatts are due to open in the Asht and Jayhun districts by November.
The second track is digital, and Tajikistan has pushed that agenda abroad as well. The United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus in July last year a Tajik-initiated resolution on the role of artificial intelligence in sustainable development across Central Asia. It included a regional artificial intelligence center in Dushanbe to coordinate joint projects.
A second Tajik-initiated resolution passed last month, designating Aug. 31 as the International Day of Safe and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. It drew 144 votes in favor. The United States and Israel voted against, and Argentina, Canada, and Samoa abstained. The first observance falls in 2027.
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