Appeal of the Governor of Ugra

Investment message of the Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova 

Dear fellow countrymen!

2020 has been a challenging year for the world. Covid has raised the importance of relying on internal development resources. Self-reliance and the development of self-sufficiency have become some of the main trends for countries and regions.

To support citizens and businesses during the pandemic, a set of measures worth about 70 billion rubles is being implemented in our region, about 9 billion rubles of that sum were contributed to the effort to prevent and fight Covid by oil companies, oil and gas field service companies, and all other organizations.

This year, the region has expanded its list of support measures for industrial enterprises. Thus, the Ugra Development Foundation has supported 6 projects with a total investment of more than 2 billion rubles.

In 2020, the volume of investments, according to the Ugra Department of Economic Development, will amount to 939,400 million rubles. The share of investments in the gross regional product will reach 23.4% (21.4% in 2019). Ugra ranks third among Russian regions in terms of investment per capita.

The extraction of minerals accounts for a major share in the investment composition – 84.5%. At the same time, the share of investments in the construction industry, social sector, and services sector has increased.

The region has been assigned the highest credit rating on the national scale, “AAA (RU)”, with Stable Outlook confirmed by the Analytical Credit Rating Agency. Among the key factors of the rating assessment are the strong performance indicators of the regional economy, the level of budget liquidity and low debt burden. 

The region's investment policy for 2021 focuses on the following areas.

#1.

Accelerating the development of breakthrough hydrocarbon production technologies.

At the end of October 2020, the Russian Government approved an action plan for the development of hydrogen energy for the period up to 2024 with a view to our country’s economy becoming one of the world leaders in hydrogen production and exports.

#2.

In the manufacturing sector – the creation of industrial infrastructure facilities to provide business entities with affordable sites for the deployment of productive assets.

#3.

In the agricultural sector – the modernization  and creation of new productive assets.

All around the world the volume of innovations in startups specializing in new agricultural technologies is growing. Robotics and artificial intelligence are no more science fiction but today’s reality of agriculture according to the statistics for 2019 and 2020, including in our region.

#4.

Formation of an ecosystem for the development of creative industries, scientific and technological initiative.

By 30 March 2021, jointly with the Russian Venture Company, a mechanism for support and implementation of the  scientific technological initiative is to be developed. By the end of April 2021, the creation of a regional network of centers for youth innovative creativity in the cities of Nizhnevartovsk, Nyagan, Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk is to be completed.

#5.

Introduction of the ecosystem “Investment Budget”.

From 2021, the ecosystem “Investment Budget”, using, among other things, artificial intelligence, will rank investment projects implemented with state support, according to a system of criteria.

#6.

Development of the region’s transport system.

The main infrastructure project for the coming years is the second bridge across the Ob river near Surgut.

No less important for the development of Ugra and our neighboring regions is the formation of a unified transport system of the Ural-Siberian area. This is the goal of the plans for the construction of highway segments “Urai – Sovetsky” and “Kuminsky – border of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra with the Sverdlovsk Region”.

Support for small and medium-sized businesses, development of self-employment.

In today’s conditions of economy digitalization, the requirement to transfer all measures to support small and medium-sized businesses into electronic format will be met. The activity of development institutions will be geared to the new national goals. The list of online services that exporters can use in a “one-stop-shop” mode needs to be expanded.

Development of tourism.

To support the industry affected by the pandemic, in 2021 subsidies are planned to be allocated for the reimbursement of up to 80% of the costs of tourism industry facilities construction and development, up to 80% of tour operators’ costs of their participation in tourism exhibitions, fairs, conferences.

With the support of Rostourism, Ugra’s first glamping hotel designed by the Ugra Expedition Club “Wild North – Ugra” will be built in 2021 at the foot of Mount Narodnaya.