Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, has positioned the fourth edition of GITEX Africa as a direct instrument of the Kingdom’s national digitisation agenda, ahead of the event’s opening in Marrakech on 7 April.
“For us, GITEX is not just an exhibition, it is a major opportunity to develop digitalisation and artificial intelligence in Morocco, to support startups, and to showcase the capabilities of our youth to the world,” El Fallah Seghrouchni said at a press conference marking the event’s launch.
The 2026 edition, running from 7 to 9 April under the theme “Catalysing Africa’s Digital Economy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” will bring together more than 1,450 companies and startups from over 130 countries, with new national delegations attending from Croatia, Denmark, Guinea, Thailand and Zambia among others. More than 400 investors collectively managing USD 350 billion in assets are expected on the ground to engage with African startups through the North Star Africa programme, the event’s dedicated startup showcase.
El Fallah Seghrouchni also highlighted Morocco’s Digital for Sustainable Development Hub, a UNDP-partnered initiative through which the ministry is building what she described as “an Arab-African digital cooperation platform” for shared AI deployment aligned with member countries’ development priorities. The framing reflects a deliberate effort by Rabat to position itself not merely as a host market for GITEX but as an active architect of continental digital policy.
Amine El Mezouaghi, Director General of Morocco’s Digital Development Agency, described AI as “a decisive lever for Africa’s digital development, provided that effective convergence is ensured between public policy, infrastructure and investment.”
GITEX Africa is organised by KAOUN International, a subsidiary of Dubai World Trade Centre, in partnership with Morocco’s Digital Development Agency. The event has grown steadily since its first edition, establishing Marrakech as one of the continent’s primary technology gathering points alongside Kigali and Lagos. African startups raised a record USD 3.9 billion in funding in 2025, a figure organisers expect to use as a benchmark for investor engagement at this year’s edition.
