Some 45,000 tech experts, investors, and startup owners from 130 countries will be heading to Marrakesh in Morocco next week to attend the GITEX Africa show. The event, now in its third edition, is one of the largest tech gatherings on the continent where more than 14,000 companies and startups will be exhibiting tech solutions in a wide range of sectors starting with artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, agriculture, education, and health.
With a projected population of 1.7 billion by 2030 and consumer spending set to soar to $2.5 trillion, leveraging Africa’s digital economy of 600 million Internet users is estimated to add $712 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2025. These figures do not only highlight the continent’s need for investments in the sector but also the wide investment opportunities it offers.
The event will include workshops as well as training sessions shedding light on how broadband expansion, 5G deployment, and cloud tech are driving Africa’s digital growth, and powering economic growth through innovative public-private partnerships. The three-day event is also a chance for hundreds of African startups to pitch to top investors from all over the world. Fast developments in the continent’s startup ecosystems are expected to attract investments exceeding $5 billion in 2025, according to GITEX figures.
One of the largest investors in emerging markets, the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s investment arm, will be among the investors hunting for opportunities among startups and tech solutions at GITEX. Some 800 startups will be displaying their products for attendees and large investors, with GITEX putting their number at 35 including the IFC and six well-known investment funds and venture capital companies already having investments in African country startups.
Startups participating in the events are not only African and work in all sectors. One of them is the UAE’s ImmiMatch, a platform helping to match individuals who are pursuing immigration opportunities and in need of legal advice with the legal organisations best able to meet their immigration needs. ImmiMatch’s algorithm matches immigrants with a nonprofit organisation or law firm by immigration specialty, language, and location to maximise the chance of success.
The Egyptian Raspire is another startup that offers solutions to protect the security of different mobile apps in a wide range of services from financial, e-commerce, to healthcare. Cyber security will likely be one of the main topics discussed at GITEX this year, and the dark web, a hidden part of the Internet that users use a special browser to access to explore hidden sites and engage in both legal and illicit activities under the cover of an anonymous IP address, is a major threat.
Dark web actors sell access to the networks of 74 per cent of major African companies with the average cost coming in at $2,970, noted a pamphlet of the event.
Another Egyptian startup participating in the event is WeLend, which offers small enterprises access to lines of credit after analysing their creditworthiness using “alternative data” gathered from non-traditional sources. This means looking beyond company filings and depends on analysing credit card transactions, social media commentary, product reviews, and satellite imagery.
According to GITEX figures, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) contribute 50 per cent of Africa’s GDP, representing a $1 trillion market opportunity for fintech operations. Means to secure financing for this category will also be discussed during GITEX Africa.
The future of digital healthcare in Africa, which refers to the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into healthcare delivery across the continent to improve access, efficiency, and outcomes for patients, is one of the topics on the GITEX Africa Agenda.
This sector has gained notable traction since the early 2000s, particularly as it was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which underscored the necessity of remote healthcare services amidst health crises.
Digital healthcare encompasses various components, including telemedicine, mobile health applications, electronic health records, and artificial intelligence, and they collectively aim to bridge gaps in healthcare access, especially in rural and underserved regions of Africa, wrote Abel Mestie Mekonnen, an Ethiopian expert in digital healthcare and founder of the Digital Health Digest, on his Linkedin account in February.
The Rwandan LifeLine startup is an example of a digital healthcare start-up of the type that will be on show at the event. It helps African patients access life-saving medications, clinical tests, and consultations at low cost.
It provides users with access to healthcare using their insurance from anywhere in the world, even if the insurance provider is not available in that country. It also supports low-income individuals who may struggle to afford insurance.
While health tech investments could reach $250 billion by 2030 and there is a growing number of startups working on offering healthcare services, none of the African healthcare startups has investments of more than $1 billion. The reasons behind this will be discussed during the digital health session at GITEX this year.
Mekonnen cited a range of systemic barriers to greater scale, including limited investment, regulatory complexities, inadequate infrastructure, and varying market demands across the African continent. “One of the primary challenges is the investment landscape, where health tech startups in Africa attracted only $189 million in 2022, representing less than 10 per cent of total investments across various sectors,” he said.
He added that this underfunding has been exacerbated by insufficient government support and public initiatives that could facilitate research and development in health technology. The regulatory environment also poses significant hurdles, as startups must navigate complex compliance requirements that can slow down their growth and discourage potential investors.
The education sector can also benefit from developments in AI and high-tech applications in Africa, and possible impediments will be highlighted during one of the GITEX Africa sessions.
According to the World Economic Forum, information technology, engineering, and the natural sciences have been identified as core science and technology (STEM) fields, but the prevalence of those working in them in different African countries is low. The highest percentages are 6.85 per cent in Egypt, 7.7 per cent in South Africa, 3.53 per cent in Congo, and 2.83 per cent in Nigeria, indicating a greater need for digital skills in these regions.
The range of topics to be discussed in the three-day event is various, and there will also be halls dedicated to startup displays. Training sessions are planned in parallel with the seminars where speakers can shed light on previously mentioned topics. There will be competitions with prizes divided into those for the three best startups together with the Young CEO Award and the Women in Tech Award.
GITEX Africa started in 2022 as a part of the GITEX Global Network, which is a series of tech events organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and its international affiliate Kaoun International.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 10 April, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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