Kyrgyzstan launches pilot to help returning migrants start local businesses
Mekenim 1+1 program offers matching state loans to returning Kyrgyz workers investing in priority economic sectors
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (MNTV) — In a bid to support returning labor migrants and stimulate local entrepreneurship, the Kyrgyz government has launched a pilot initiative called Mekenim 1+1 (“My Homeland 1+1”). The program offers a matching investment scheme that enables returning Kyrgyz citizens to co-invest with the state in small and medium-sized businesses across key economic sectors.
According to The Times of Central Asia, the initiative is led by the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration and will initially run in the southern Batken region—a remote, economically underdeveloped area with one of the highest rates of labor migration in the country.
Under the scheme, for every som invested by a returning migrant, the government will offer a concessional loan of equal value. The combined capital must be directed toward sectors prioritized for national development, such as tourism, light manufacturing, information technology, education, logistics, and warehousing.
Officials say the program is designed to reduce economic dependence on foreign labor markets and to harness the skills, savings, and entrepreneurial drive of returning workers.
If the pilot proves successful during its 2025–2026 trial phase, it will be expanded to other regions across Kyrgyzstan.
Russia remains the dominant destination for Kyrgyz labor migrants, with over 600,000 citizens currently living abroad. Nearly 380,000 of them are officially registered with Russian migration authorities as of late 2024. But that landscape is shifting.
With Russia facing economic instability, tighter immigration laws, and growing anti-immigrant sentiment, many Kyrgyz workers are looking elsewhere—including Türkiye, South Korea, and parts of Europe. Others are choosing to return home, fueling demand for reintegration programs like Mekenim 1+1.
Analysts say the initiative reflects a growing trend across Central Asia, where governments are seeking to transform labor migration from a survival strategy into a long-term development tool rooted in self-reliance and domestic investment.
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