Organisers of the world's third-largest ICT trade exhibition aim to strengthen ties with African tech companies and governments, in a bid to boost the continent's representation at the annual show.
The Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex), which is hosted every October, in Dubai, follows Germany's CeBIT and Las Vegas's Consumer Electronics Show as the globe's third-largest tech event.
Last year, Gitex attracted over 3 500 exhibiting companies and 138 000 attendees, from 144 countries.
Gitex has had keynote speakers such as Rod Beckstrom, president and chief executive of ICANN, and Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of Research In Motion, in the last two years. Companies such as Oracle and Microsoft have also been regular exhibitors at the Dubai-based expo.
Starting in 1980 as an ICT exhibition for the Gulf Confederated Council countries - such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia - and countries in the Middle East, Gitex has grown to become an international event.
In 2011, Germany had 33 stands at the exhibition, according to Trixee Loh, senior VP of the Dubai World Trade Centre, which hosts and organises Gitex. Loh says India's number of exhibitors more than doubled from 30 stands in 2010 to 70 stands in 2011, while China had the most companies at Gitex in 2011, with 99 stands.
However, sub-Saharan African attendance at Gitex has been low. The continent's biggest economy, SA, had nine exhibitors at the event in 2011, while Nigeria, Africa's second-largest economy, had just one exhibitor last year.
North African countries, such Egypt and Morocco, made up the bulk of Africa's representation at the 2011 show, with respectively 20 and eight exhibitors each.
Gitex organisers are, therefore, embarking on a roadshow of 12 countries across East, West and North Africa to try to boost the continent's number of visitors and exhibitors for 2012.
Called “Africa in Focus”, the roadshow kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday, where the Gitex team planned to meet with representatives from Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. While in Nairobi, the organisers say they are also meeting with officials from Kenya's ICT Board, which has an ambitious plan for that country to become one of the top 10 tech hubs in the world.
“There are sizeable opportunities for ICT companies in Africa to grow and expand their reach as the markets mature and infrastructure develops,” says Loh.
“Through these roadshows, we will work closely with the relevant governments and industry officials to foster ties and explore trade opportunities that will be mutually beneficial to all.”
Targeting growth
Gitex organisers' increased focus on Africa comes at a time when the continent is becoming a greater contributor to the growing global ICT market.
Earlier this year, Gartner forecast that IT spending in Africa is expected to grow by almost 11% this year, outperforming the global average of 3.7%.
Organisers at Gitex say the “Africa in Focus” campaign in 2011 resulted in a 21% increase in visitors from Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Libya and SA. Gitex 2012 will also target trade delegations from Kenya, Nigeria, SA, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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