What GITEX AFRICA does

GITEX AFRICA is an annual technology and startup event held in Marrakech, Morocco, organized by Kaoun International under the global GITEX brand. The inaugural edition launched in 2024, with the 2025 edition held April 14-16, 2025, and the 2026 edition scheduled for April 7-9 at the Marrakech Exhibition & Convention Centre. The event operates as a multi-day conference and exhibition targeting the African technology ecosystem, combining physical exhibition space, conference tracks spanning AI, cybersecurity, fintech, connectivity, data centres, healthtech, sports tech, mobility, and sustainability, alongside startup programming and investor matchmaking. Supporting technology includes a mobile event app and an AI-powered matchmaking platform connecting investors, startups, and enterprises.

The company monetizes through five primary revenue streams: exhibition space sales (booth rentals), tiered sponsorship packages with named partners including Visa, Oracle, Huawei, Orange Morocco, Ericsson, Schneider Electric, Hyundai, IFC, GIZ, and UM6P, conference and visitor passes (free for qualified trade visitors), startup programme participation (Supernova Challenge pitch competition, North Star Africa ecosystem, Scale-X program), and certified training workshops (SANS cybersecurity courses, Generative AI certification, Kaspersky workshops). The customer base spans five segments: technology companies and enterprises, startups and scaleups, government officials and policymakers, investors and VCs, and education/training institutions. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales for exhibition and sponsorship deals with self-service online registration for visitors.

The event is positioned as the largest tech and startup gathering in Africa, with 700+ startups, 400+ investors managing $200B+ AUM, and 100+ speakers per edition. Distribution leverages 50+ media partners including Morocco World News, TechCabal, Forbes Afrique, and CNN International. The platform is expanding internationally, with four new GITEX regional editions announced in October 2025 across Brazil, India, Serbia, and Türkiye, indicating a deliberate franchise-replication strategy. The Moroccan government provides institutional backing, with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch publicly endorsing the event.

Name

GITEX AFRICA

Website

https://gitexafrica.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GITEX AFRICA is an annual tech and startup event held in Marrakech, Morocco, organized by Kaoun International. It serves enterprises, startups, investors, and governments through exhibitions, conference tracks, investor matchmaking, and startup pitch competitions across Africa's tech ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Trade Shows and Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Certification Expos Organizers (THAHABAD), Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• Technology trade show
• Startup exhibition
• Investor matchmaking events
• Tech conference africa
• Digital transformation summit

Headquarters

HQ city

Marrakesh

HQ country

Morocco

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Space Sales: Companies book exhibition booths and space at the event. Packages vary by size, location, and additional services included.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Multiple sponsorship tiers including Financial Innovation Partner, Technology & Digital Partner, Payment Technology Partner, Scientific Partner, Digital Innovation Partner, Official Transportation Partner, Finance Transformation Partner, Digital Infrastructure Partner, Energy Technology Partner, Official Cloud Partner, Economic Development Partner, Registration Sponsor, and Workshop Sponsor. Each tier provides brand visibility, speaking slots, and networking access.
3. Conference and Visitor Passes: Trade and business visitors register to attend. Admission is restricted to trade visitors; visitors under 18 not admitted. Students aged 16-18 can attend only if accompanied by school or faculty members.
4. Startup Programme Participation: Startups pay to exhibit, participate in Supernova Challenge pitch competitions, and access investor matchmaking services.
5. Certified Training & Workshops: Professional certification programs including SANS Institute cybersecurity courses, Generative AI training by Blockchain Council, and other technical workshops with associated fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GITEX AFRICA is Africa's largest annual tech and startup event, organized by Kaoun International and held in Marrakech, Morocco. It sells exhibition booth space, multi-tier sponsorship packages, startup participation programs, certified training workshops, and conference passes to enterprises, tech companies, investors, governments and startups. The event combines product showcases, themed conference summits, investor matchmaking, startup pitch competitions, and awards programs to accelerate Africa's digital economy.

Product overview

GITEX AFRICA is Africa's largest tech and startup event held annually in Morocco, serving as an all-encompassing tech festival that combines immersive technology demonstrations, high-level dialogues, and extensive innovation showcases. The event operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture with the core GITEX AFRICA event encompassing multiple conference tracks (Digital Summit, Future Connectivity Summit, AI Governance Forum, Cybersecurity Forum, GITEX Impact Africa, Future Health Africa, FLEX, SportsTech, Data Centres), alongside supporting programmes including North Star Africa startup ecosystem, Supernova Challenge pitch competition, Scale-X programme for scaleups, Founders & Venture Summits, an Investor Programme connecting startups with 400+ investors managing $200+ billion AUM, a Digital Transformation Programme for enterprise buyers, Cyber & AI Achiever Awards, and Certified Training & Workshops. The 2026 edition takes place 7-9 April at the Marrakech Exhibition & Convention Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• North Star Africa: Africa's biggest startup and investor connector event, a supercharged startup-investor ecosystem.
• Supernova Challenge
• Scale-X Programme
• FLEX
• GITEX Future Health Africa
• Cyber & AI Achiever Awards
• Founders & Venture Summits

Products and services

• GITEX AFRICA Annual Event Africa's largest annual tech and startup exhibition and conference held at the Marrakech Exhibition & Convention Centre, offering paid exhibition space and sponsorship tiers to global tech enterprises, with free qualified trade visitor admission.
• North Star Africa Startup Programme Africa's largest startup and investor connector programme, enabling startups to exhibit, pitch, and access curated meetings with VCs, family offices, CVCs, and accelerators under the GITEX AFRICA umbrella.
• Scale-X Programme Gateway programme for Series A+ scaleups with proven traction, providing market-entry briefings, corporate pilot opportunities, and mentorship to support expansion across African markets.
• Investor Programme Invitation-based investor programme connecting 400+ venture capitalists, family offices, fund of funds, CVCs, accelerators, angels, and development finance institutions (managing $200B+ AUM) with African startups through pre-scheduled meetings and curated matchmaking.
• Digital Transformation Programme Invitation-only senior executive programme connecting government officials, enterprise decision-makers, and national digital champions with strategic dialogues and curated networking access, with free access valued at approximately MAD 25,000 per qualified attendee.
• Certified Training and Workshops Industry-recognised paid certification programs delivered at the event including Certified Generative AI Expert courses by Blockchain Council, SANS Institute cybersecurity courses, and Kaspersky cybersecurity workshops, targeted at technical professionals seeking credentials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Africa's digital economy projected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2030
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Orange MoroccocoreTechnology or IntegrationOrange Morocco is the Technology & Digital Partner and Diamond Sponsor. As one of Africa's largest telecommunications operators, Orange provides technological infrastructure expertise and connects with the startup ecosystem through the event.
• EricssoncoreTechnology or IntegrationEricsson serves as Digital Infrastructure Partner, bringing expertise in telecommunications infrastructure and 5G deployment across Africa.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationOracle is the Official Cloud Partner, providing cloud infrastructure and technology solutions expertise to the event's digital transformation themes.
• Schneider ElectriccoreTechnology or IntegrationSchneider Electric serves as Energy Technology Partner, contributing expertise in sustainable energy solutions and data centre power infrastructure.
• HyundaimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHyundai is the Official Transportation Partner, providing transportation solutions and brand visibility at the event.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ is the Digital Innovation Partner, contributing to digital transformation discussions and sustainable development expertise from Germany's development cooperation.
• UM6P (Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUM6P serves as Scientific Partner, providing academic research perspective and hosting innovation programs like Evosport for sports technology research.
• KasperskymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerKaspersky sponsors cybersecurity workshops and certified training programs, bringing cybersecurity expertise to the event.
• Kaoun InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaoun International is the organiser of GITEX AFRICA, leveraging its global experience in running major technology events across Dubai, Singapore, and other international locations.
• EndeavormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal community of high-impact entrepreneurs supporting startup ecosystem development in Africa through mentorship and network access.
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecretary General Wamkele Mene serves as a keynote speaker, representing Africa's largest free trade area and its digital trade facilitation goals.
• Greenov'i ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner€12 million EU-funded initiative supporting Tunisian startups' participation at GITEX AFRICA 2026, implemented by Expertise France in collaboration with CITET Tunisia.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Slush: A leading startup and tech event (Helsinki) with strong investor matchmaking focus. Comparable to GITEX AFRICA's North Star Africa and investor programming in terms of startup-investor facilitation model.
• GITEX Asia: A newer regional GITEX edition in Singapore, operated by the same parent organization. Comparable as a sister event extending the GITEX brand into Southeast Asia, sharing operational infrastructure and sponsor relationships.

Broad incumbents

• TechCrunch Disrupt: A leading global startup technology conference with a flagship pitch competition (Startup Battlefield). Directly comparable to GITEX AFRICA's Supernova Challenge pitch competition and North Star Africa startup ecosystem programming.
• Informa Tech: A major global events and exhibitions group that owns competing African events including Africa Tech Festival and AfricaCom. Operates as a broad incumbent in the B2B tech events space with overlapping sponsor relationships.
• CES: The world's flagship consumer electronics and big-tech exhibition (Las Vegas), organized by the Consumer Technology Association. Comparable as a tier-one tech exhibition platform where global technology brands commit large sponsorship and exhibition budgets.
• Mobile World Congress (MWC Barcelona): The world's largest mobile and connectivity exhibition, organized by GSMA. Overlaps with GITEX AFRICA's connectivity, telecom infrastructure, and digital transformation themes, and competes for the same global telco sponsors (Ericsson, Huawei, Orange).

Direct peers

• LEAP: Saudi Arabia's flagship tech event, structurally similar to GITEX AFRICA as a government-backed, emerging-market tech exhibition targeting enterprise buyers, startups, and investors in a fast-growing regional digital economy.
• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences (Lisbon), operating a similar event-driven business model combining exhibition space, sponsorship tiers, startup programs, and investor networking for a global tech audience.
• GITEX GLOBAL: The flagship GITEX event held in Dubai, operated by the same parent organization (Kaoun International / Dubai World Trade Centre). It is the direct peer in terms of business model, sponsor base, and operational playbook, and serves as the brand template that GITEX AFRICA extends to Africa.
• Africa Tech Festival (AfricaCom): The largest established African tech and telecom event (Cape Town), organized by Informa. Directly competes for the same enterprise sponsors, government delegations, and telco exhibitors as GITEX AFRICA on the African continent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GITEXAfrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GITEX AFRICA