2nd Edition of GITEX AFRICA Kicks Off in Morocco With Egyptian Participation

The second edition of the three-day GITEX AFRICA Morocco 2024 event kicked off in Marrakech under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

GITEX AFRICA, which is rated as the biggest tech show in the continent, gathers global leaders, tech enthusiasts, and innovators from over 130 countries to explore and showcase the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in driving economic growth and social development across Africa.

The prestigious tech show is held this year by the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, in partnership with the Digital Development Agency (ADD).

The event is organised by KAOUN International, the international affiliate of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the organiser of GITEX GLOBAL in the UAE, the world's largest tech and start-up event.

The show features 1,400 exhibiting tech enterprises and start-ups, including over 200 Moroccan start-ups and 26 Egyptian companies and startups from 130 countries. GITEX AFRICA is a platform that connects entrepreneurs with investors, fostering an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

During the event, Walid Hassouna, the CEO of the Egypt-based e-payment services provider Valu Company, told Ahram Online that the e-payments and fintech landscape in Egypt is growing and promising, revealing that the volume of financing provided to customers has reached EGP 4.5 billion since the beginning of 2024, an increase of around 45 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

Hassouna added that the company aims to reach a financing portfolio of EGP 13 billion before the end of 2024.

He affirmed that these numbers reflect the growing local needs for such services and indicate an increasing demand for the payment solutions such companies provide.

“The growth of financing is mainly due to the increase in the number of customers and transactions, and not as a result of rising inflation and prices,” Hassouna told Ahram Online.

He mentioned that the Valu prepaid and credit cards have been very successful, garnering around a quarter of a billion EGP in a relatively short time.

Enhancing Africa's digital transition “The success of the 1st edition of GITEX Africa Morocco highlights our continent’s enthusiastic embrace of the digital revolution and Morocco’s commitment to strengthen south-south cooperation in the digital field, as well as its contribution to the international promotion of the African continent per the High Royal Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” said Ghita Mezzour, the Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.

For his part, Mohammed Drissi Melvani, the General Director of the Digital Development Agency (ADD), said the Kingdom of Morocco successfully hosted the first edition of GITEX Africa Morocco in 2023, which showcased Africa as an emergent continent in the digital economy.

Melvani added that the 2nd edition in 2024 is another opportunity to enhance and support Africa’s digital transformation progress and boost the competitiveness of the continent’s digital ecosystems.

GITEX AFRICA also organises the World Future Health Africa event in 2024 to explore ways to accelerate digital healthcare across Africa.

World Future Health Africa is held under the auspices of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Public Administration Reform, the Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and the Digital Development Agency.

North Star Africa The second edition of GITEX Africa also features the North Star Africa start-up show converging the largest curation of award-winning start-ups and scale-ups ever seen in the African continent.

The most ambitious and forward-thinking entrepreneurs and founders will collaborate with African and global accelerators and investors to scale business opportunities in a region poised to raise $10 billion in venture capital (VC) funds by 2025, according to a fact sheet announced during the event.

North Star Africa is extending its far-reaching footprint to all ends of the world’s second-largest continent and beyond, spurring investors to seek out and uplift the next potential unicorns solving Africa’s biggest challenges, said Trixie LohMairmand Executive Vice President, Events Management, of the Dubai World Trade Centre.

“The global community is experiencing the growing energy, curiosity and demand for digital advancement from Africa which is outpacing that of matured developed continents

The depth and breadth of tech showcase, including the much-hyped AI in society and business at GITEX Africa Morocco, shall be an eye-opening experience fostering great knowledge sharing and collaboration opportunities between the public and private sectors and amongst businesses across the world,” according to LohMairmand.