Huawei To Take Center Stage at GITEX Africa, Fuelling Africa’s Tech Boom

Rabat – As the highly-anticipated first edition of Gitex Africa is fast approaching, Chinese tech giant Huawei has stressed its commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and creating a more connected and sustainable digital economy in the continent.

Standing prominently among the key players at the event, Huawei, a Platinum Sponsor, emphasized its keenness to “unleash the potential of digital technology to guide Africa towards new and ever more promising horizons.”

The largest tech and start-up event in Africa, the summit will take place in the Moroccan red city of Marrakech between May 31 and June 2, with the participation of 900 tech companies, 30 government entities, 250 investors, start-ups, big tech, and youth from more than 100 countries.

The event aims to “accelerate and catalyze the continent’s ambitious digital transformation journey,” said the organizers, promising to integrate Africa into the global tech ecosystem and entrepreneurial innovation economy.

During the three-day event, stakeholders will exchange views and ideas on the “opportunities and unlimited potential of new technologies, as well as on the challenges associated with digital transformation in Africa, including connectivity, the digital divide, and regulation,” said Huawei in a press release.

GITEX Africa’s program is set to include a wide range of speeches on Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainable development, energy access, and cybersecurity.

At the forefront of these discussions will be various experts from Huawei, who will share their “engaging insights and expertise on the role that new technologies can and must play in Africa’s future,” added the statement.

These include Huawei’s Vice Chairman Tonny Bao, who will deliver a speech on “Unleashing the potential of digital technology for a new Africa” on the first day of the summit.

Later on May 31, Youssef Ait Kaddour, Chief Cybersecurity & Privacy Officer at Huawei Morocco, will speak about the importance of redefining the role of Chief Information Security Officer in the era of disruptive technologies, including AI and cloud computing.

Meanwhile, VP of Cloud Ecosystem & Partner Development at Huawei Northern Africa, Charlly Li, will introduce the Huawei Cloud Start-Up Program, which aims to support young entrepreneurs across several African countries by leveraging human and technological resources.

In addition, the technology company will host two major events dedicated to strengthening its ties with its partners. Both events, titled the “Northern Africa Partners Conference 2023” and the “Huawei Cloud Northern Africa Partners,” will take place on June 1.

The summit will also serve as a platform for Huawei to launch new products and solutions, as well as sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Guinea Conakry’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy.

During a gala dinner on May 31, President of Huawei Northern Africa Terry He and President of Enterprise & Cloud at Huawei Northern Africa, Colin Hu, will discuss the company’s strategy for Africa in 2023.

Prominent African delegates will be present at the dinner, including representatives from the Cote d’Ivoire Ministry of Transport, NAS Egypt, Smart Africa, Morocco’s Digital Development Agency (ADD), and Ethio Telecom.

The statement concluded that Huawei sees its participation in the inaugural edition of GITEX Africa as a vital opportunity to “promote Africa as a competitive technology continent on the international stage, and to highlight African skills in the digital sector.”

Commenting on the launch of the summit, 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.”