[1] Critics refer to him as "The Terminator", a nickname he gained as the akim of Pavlodar Region for his actions in suppressing supporters of Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, the previous äkim.

[1] He was reappointed again as the äkim of Pavlodar region on 21 November 2001 after his predecessor Galymzhan Zhakiyanov was dismissed after joining the opposition by helping to form the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan.

[11] President Nursultan Nazarbayev nominated Akhmetov as Prime Minister at a joint session of parliament on 13 June 2003.

In May 2004, he received a letter from 47 foreign oil companies, including ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Shell, the BG Group, and ENI, complaining that the proposed changes would negatively affect future investment.

"[12] Akhmetov met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Myeong Sook on 23 September 2006 in Astana and signed several bilateral agreements enhancing economic ties.

The Government of South Korea agreed to invest an additional $2 billion in joint projects in the energy, uranium-extraction, construction, transportation, and banking sectors.

[13] Akhmetov met with Rustam Minnikhanov, the Prime Minister of the Autonomous Republic of Tatarstan, in Astana on 13 October 2006.

They discussed creating a joint venture that would build helicopters, Kazakh government investment in petrochemical businesses in Tatarstan, and constructing a highway to western China that would connect St. Petersburg to Moscow, Kazan, Orenburg, Kyzylorda, Shymkent, and Korgas in Xinjiang, China.

Iskender Muflikhanov, aide to Prime Minister Minnikhanov, said the Tatar government had "great hopes with regard to the shipping, or the assembling [in Kazakhstan] of KamAZ trucks.

[18] In December 2010, it was revealed that Akhmetov headed a company in the field of ecological energy and did not want to return to politics, KazTAG reported.