GITEX Africa Morocco is being reviewed four years after its launch to see whether the event is delivering enough value for the country. The Digital Development Agency (ADD) has hired an external consultant to study the event’s economic, business, technology and media impact. The review will also look at how GITEX Africa should develop in the coming years.
The consultant will first map the money, people, equipment and other resources used to organise the event. The study will then look at six areas: strategy, the economy, institutions, the tech ecosystem, technology and media.
The economic review will look at spending by exhibitors and visitors, revenue, local suppliers and jobs. It will also examine business deals, fundraising and investment involving startups.
The technology review will focus on the use of new technologies and partnerships between universities and companies. The media part will measure press coverage and activity on social media.
The event may be repositioned
The ADD also wants to find out what works well at GITEX Africa and what needs to change.
The consultant will compare the event with major international technology events and prepare different options for its future. The proposals will include targets, priorities and measures that can be used to track progress.
The work will have five stages: defining the scope, creating the evaluation framework, collecting data, analysing the results and producing the final report.
Data collection will include about 20 interviews and 10 focus groups.
The review comes as the country works to expand its digital economy under the Digital Morocco 2030 strategy.
The strategy includes a planned budget of about $1.1bn for 2024-2026. It aims to increase direct technology jobs from 60,000 to 240,000 by 2030 and support 3,000 active startups.
Digital exports and outsourcing revenue are also expected to reach 40bn dirhams ($4bn) by 2030.
GITEX is expanding
GITEX Africa is also no longer limited to Morocco.
Kaoun International, the company behind the global GITEX brand and a subsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre, is expanding the event into other African markets.
Nigeria is preparing GITEX events in Abuja and Lagos. Egypt is also being added to the network, while GITEX events are planned for Europe and Asia.
That expansion means the ADD now has to look at what makes GITEX Africa Morocco different and what value the event can bring in the long term.
Recent editions have attracted more than 55,000 visitors from over 130 countries. Between 1,450 and 1,500 technology companies and exhibitors from 58 countries have taken part.
The event has also brought together 412 international venture capital firms managing more than $350bn in assets.
The review will now look beyond those headline figures to determine what the event actually delivers for the wider economy and technology sector.
