Marrakech: AI Everything Expo of GITEX AFRICA
The AI frenzy transforming businesses, governments, and society globally is also triggering waves of innovation across Africa, with the existential prospects of this shape-shifting technology fueling a wave of transcontinental investments at the AI Everything Expo of GITEX AFRICA in Morocco next month.
The epic opportunity of AI in Africa is already disrupting digital advancements in various sectors ranging from finance and agriculture to healthcare and mobility, all fueling a booming AI market that, according to Statista analysts, will experience a 30% annual growth over the next six years, reaching a value of $17 billion by 2030.
This massive rush towards AI, combined with a rapidly growing population of 1.5 billion people – 70% of whom are under 30 – creates a potent recipe for AI acceleration, but also highlights gaps in talent development, risk allocation, policy, and infrastructure.
These crucial challenges and opportunities will be addressed as global AI experts and key players in its large-scale deployment come together to accelerate the continent’s next major technological shift at the AI Everything Expo of GITEX AFRICA, the largest and most progressive platform of the year for AI exploration and deep technological innovation.
Taking place from May 29th to 31st, 2024, in Marrakech, Africa’s technological showcase will feature global tech titans leading the AI gold rush, including Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, Nvidia, and Google, alongside hundreds of ambitious AI startups from around the world with grand visions to change Africa through AI-infused products and services.
A “continent of AI bursting with investment opportunities”
Microsoft, the world’s most valuable company and official partner of GITEX AFRICA in AI, is leading the way in AI investment race, having forged partnerships with the world’s leading AI model makers, including the UAE’s G42, a visionary global leader in AI.
Microsoft’s recent $1.5 billion strategic investment in G42 to accelerate AI development in growing economies like Africa will be hailed by tech industry leaders, government heads, investors, and tech entrepreneurs at GITEX AFRICA 2024, which will also feature Presight, G42’s AI-driven big data analytics company.
Lillian Barnard, President of Microsoft Africa, said AI can pave the way for a continent “brimming with investment opportunities.” “Africa has long been recognized for its tremendous growth prospects, and AI is the long-awaited key to helping unlock that potential,” said Barnard, who will also be one of the keynote speakers at GITEX AFRICA’s packed conference program.
“The AI-driven innovation we’re witnessing today is poised to reinvent every aspect of society, from healthcare to financial services, manufacturing, and beyond. If Africa wants to benefit from the paradigm shift currently sweeping the world, we must realize the promise of AI for people and organizations across the continent – and do so responsibly. GITEX provides us with a platform to come together and work towards fulfilling that commitment.”
Dr. Adel Alsharji, COO of Presight, added that Africa is the world’s second fastest-growing region in AI adoption. “The AI journey in Africa is gaining momentum, and these advancements underscore the continent’s willingness to explore and harness the potential of AI to drive economic growth and address local challenges,” said Alsharji, adding that demand for AI-related jobs will double in the next three years. “AI could add $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030, while the number of AI-related jobs in Africa alone is expected to grow by 200% by 2025.”
A formidable African force in a world-changing AI revolution
The AI Everything Expo will bring together the brightest minds and most innovative thinkers in AI at the AI Everything Conference, one of GITEX AFRICA’s 10 powerful conference stages, the largest technology and startup exhibition on the continent.
Among the key speakers leading the AI phenomenon are Dragoș Tudorache, Vice President of the Renew Europe Group; Mactar Seck, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); and Jepson Taylor, former Chief AI Strategist at Dataiku.
AI and its wide-reaching multisectoral impact will be evident on the exhibition floor, with exhibitors showcasing how the AI boom is driving waves of innovation in sectors ranging from education and agriculture to transportation, retail, energy, and logistics.
Clinify, a Nigerian startup, embodies this movement in the healthcare sector and is among the hundreds of global change-makers featured at GITEX AFRICA’s North Star Africa startup showcase. Clinify, an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) platform, aims to digitize patient medical records in Africa, where 90% of such information is still on paper.
CEO and founder Michael Omidele said there is an urgent need for centralized and digitized medical records. “The healthcare sector in Africa faces several challenges; there is only one doctor for every 10,000 patients, whereas the average in developed countries is one doctor for 250 people,” Omidele said.
“Clinify is a uniquely African solution providing a digitally centralized and standardized interoperable aggregator of health systems, a telemedicine platform, and an EMR solution giving patients access to their medical records. Our goal is to connect with healthcare providers, develop this innovation from Nigeria, and export it across Africa.”
Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, GITEX AFRICA is held under the authority of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, in partnership with the Moroccan Agency for Digital Development. The successful 2nd edition, organized by KAOUN International, follows its pioneering debut in 2023.
More information is available at www.gitexafrica.com.
Media registration here.
Website: www.gitexafrica.com.