Rabat – The Moroccan red city of Marrakech will host between May 31 and June 2 the highly-anticipated first edition of GITEX Africa 2023, the largest tech and start-up event on the continent.
The event will bring together 900 tech companies, government entities, investors, start-ups, big tech, and youth from more than 100 countries, with the aim of “accelerating and catalyzing the continent’s ambitious digital transformation journey,” said the organizers in a press release.
Marrakech’s Bab Jdid venue will serve as the backdrop to the event which will enable participants to “explore, discover, and connect to real opportunities in the world’s rising digital economy,” added the statement.
The event will include a wide range of conferences. But the heart of GITEX Africa lies in an “impactful leadership conference,” which will feature more than 250 speakers from 50 countries.
The experts will share valuable insights and experiences, with the aim of applying international expertise to the unique African context.
Meanwhile, the GITEX Africa Digital Summit will host ten conference tracks, tackling various topics, including generative AI, digital cities, fintech, agritech, healthcare, energy, innovation, and sustainable development goals, among others.
In addition to featuring the “best minds”, GITEX Africa, which is hosted by the Digital Development Agency (ADD), is set to welcome tens of thousands of attendees from across the world.
Commenting on the fast-approaching launch of the event, Ghita Mezzour, the Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, said: “We’re witnessing a historic event, the first-ever edition of GITEX Africa, and the largest tech networking and learning business event in the African continent.”
Mezzour added that the event will serve as a golden opportunity for Moroccan and African start-ups and young programmers to meet and network with regional and global investors, business incubators, and leaders in the public and private sectors.
She made the remarks during GITEX Africa’s official preview press conference, which saw the attendance of the event’s partners.
For his part, General Director at ADD Sidi Mohammed Drissi Melyani underlined that hosting GITEX Africa reflects Morocco’s commitment to work with the private and public sectors to support the continent’s digital transformation.
The event is “an important opportunity to value the efforts deployed by all the Moroccan stakeholders in the field of digital development,” he stressed. “It is also a platform of networking between exhibitors, investors, researchers and tech operators around innovative solutions and digital transformation.”
In addition, Melyani stressed the organizers’ conviction that the event will contribute to enhancing Africa’s digital transition and positioning the continent as a “future innovation hub, led by its young talents and competitive startups.”
Supporting Africa’s goals
The event’s main goal is to amplify Africa’s collective digital innovation ambitions and achievements, noted the organizers. In this respect, GITEX Africa serves as a catalyst for Smart Africa’s vision to establish a unified digital market across the continent by 2030, placing Africa at the forefront of the global digital economy.
“For too long, the world’s second-largest continent has been under-stated and overlooked for its profound digital opportunities and aspirations,” argued Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of Kaoun International, GITEX Africa’s organizer.
He emphasized the event’s desire to empower the new generation of tech talents in Africa, foster entrepreneurship, and facilitate impactful collaborations between public and private sector leaders.
“At GITEX Africa, our mission is to curate an event that will serve the purpose of the African community in accessing business development, investment, and learning opportunities,” LohMirmand stressed.
The overwhelming global response to GITEX Africa is a testament to the “world’s confidence and optimism” in the potential of the African digital landscape, added the statement.
The organizers celebrated Africa’s “vibrant” start-up ecosystem, noting that 2022 marked the creation of seven unicorns in the continent. In addition, African start-ups raised over $5.4 billion (55.1 billion MAD) last year.
This momentum is poised to continue as the event attracts more than 400 disruptive start-ups, including international award-winners and unicorns eager to share their achievements in Africa’s promising innovation hub.
The participating startups will have the opportunity to meet more than 250 investors, who managed over $200 billion (MAD 2 trillion) in assets, offering unmatched opportunities for funding and growth.
In addition to integrating Africa into the global tech ecosystem, the event promises to provide a platform aimed at accelerating Morocco’s digital development strategy, solidifying its position as one of the top three African countries with the best ICT infrastructure.
As the Moroccan IT market continues to grow, with a projected value of $1.7 billion (MAD 17.3 billion) in 2023, the event vows to drive enterprise and service provider spending in the country, fostering hybrid cloud adoption and facilitating digital transformation initiatives.
Source: Morocco World News
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