GITEX GLOBAL, which concludes on Friday, is an initiative launched by Dubai’s government bringing together innovators, business leaders, startup owners and investors to explore innovative economic solutions and to showcase the world's latest technology.

Now in its 43rd edition, GITEX GLOBAL attracted some 180,000 tech executives and investors from 180 countries this week.

GITEX EUROPE will be the initiative's second overseas venture, the African version GITEX AFRICA having been held in May 2023 in Morocco.

Drawing the energy of the world’s most dynamic growing markets, GITEX GLOBAL is now a powerful nexus bridging future economies in Dubai, Africa, and now Europe.

“The mission of GITEX is to create positive impact in the industries and economies we serve, and impact is sparked when the most imaginative, innovative and forward governments and people from diverse industries and cultures with shared ambitions come together to ignite open and honest collaborations”, said Trixie Lohmirmand, CEO of the organizer of all GITEX GLOBAL events, KAOUN International.

“GITEX is all about the power of technology and people," added Lohmirmand. "The creation of GITEX Europe is centred on this simple DNA. We are motivated by the confidence the global tech community has placed in GITEX to lead them to the world's greatest markets with the highest levels of trust and commitment.”

Egypt’s Chamber of Information Technology and Communication participated in the show, with an Egyptian pavilion hosting 19 local communications and IT companies.

The country's participation allowed Egyptian enterprises to showcase their competitive advantages over a range of tech-based areas of focus, including smart cities, enterprise management, cloud computing, and more.

SuperBridge takes the stage

In parallel with GITEX GLOBAL, the inaugural edition of the SuperBridge Summit event was held over two days in the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

The event focused on the opportunity presented by large infrastructure projects needed across Africa, how venture capital funds are navigating the evolving investment landscape, and the burgeoning prominence of digital assets in shaping the future financial landscape.

In her opening remarks presented by an AI avatar video on the second morning, Vanessa Xu, Co-founder, SuperBridge Council and  Executive Chairman & CIO, VS Partners, reflected on the vision of SuperBridge as a “platform to discover and celebrate forward-looking practical solutions, that are spread across disciplines, geographies and perspectives”, and the success of the previous day.

Sharif El-Badawi, CEO of Dubai Future District Fund, Abdulrahman El-Jifry, Partner of 500 Global, Bing Xiang, Founding Dean and Professor of China Business and Globalization at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business discussed the strategic approaches of VC funds to navigating the evolving investment landscape.

In a panel titled ‘Global Investment Slowdown: Navigating Promising Sectors Executive Panel Discussion’, they identified promising investment opportunities and the key trends shaping investment decisions in today’s challenging landscape.

In a panel session titled ‘Africa’s Underrated Opportunity: Challenging Perceptions Through Partnerships’, ministers from Africa discussed the transformation of cities. Making life easier across the continent was discussed by regional leaders including Sahar Nasr, former Minister of Investment and International Cooperation in Egypt, Ghita Mezzour Morocco’ Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform in Morocco and Aurelie Adam Soule, Minister of Digital Economy and Communications in Benin.

Speaking to Ahram Online, Benin's Soule stressed that the African continent is suffering serious challenges; chiefly weak infrastructure in the ITC sector.

“The weakness of the local currencies in African markets in the wake of the severe economic repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has provoked fear among investors and VC leaders, making them hesitant to invest in startups and new innovations in Africa”, Soule said.

This being the case, according to Soule, African governments must provide more incentives and an up-to-date regulation climate for investors, in a bid for investment in Africa across all sectors. Infrastructure needed to push forward the digital transformation process on the continent is especially needed.

The Future Blockchain Summit concludes in parallel at Dubai Harbour, asserting the critical role blockchain solutions play in the face of the climate change threats.

“We need to adopt green digital assets; including green digital cryptocurrencies, green financing, and green bonds to help dealing with the climate change and its implications”, said the chair of the World Metaverse Council Jane Thomason.

She added that blockchain solutions provide pathways to deliver climate-related financing to beneficiaries all over the world.