GCC leaders will share their visions on digital transformation and tech trends and will assess how the future-ready, digitally savvy Gulf governments are staying ahead of the curve.
The Gulf is home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, both of which lead the pack of the Middle East and North Africa’s smartest cities, and GITEX will play host to innovative economic leaders from across the GCC as they look at how to continue developing beyond the pandemic.
Leaders from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Africa will come together at this year’s GITEX conference, formally the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition.
"Digital economy is a key catalyst for the growth and development of new economic sectors, and increase our international competitiveness and in the economy of the future,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The pandemic has accelerated digital economic transformation, but in the GCC, nations had begun to adopt new technologies years ago.
Research from management consulting firm Arthur D. Little shows that “those nations making use of the current flux to build the foundations of a strong and sustainable digital economy will emerge from the downturn stronger, more competitive, supporting more well-paid and high-quality jobs.”
Further, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have made their way onto a list of digital powerhouses, according to a report by the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
To drive modernisation, the region’s start-ups are developing disruptive solutions across sectors, and GITEX will bring together more than 750 start-ups and over 500 investors, creating what it says is the biggest investor-start-up networking platform worldwide.”
StartUp Bahrain, Seoul Gov, Catalyst UAE Startup Sweden, Startupbootcamp will all be present.
In 2020, venture capitalists poured $1 billion into regional start-ups last year, signaling high investor confidence, despite the global coronavirus pandemic.
In the Middle East and North Africa, 256 investors, including international venture capitalists, put money in regional start-ups, according to Magnitt, the start-up data platform for emerging venture markets. A quarter of investors were based outside the region, with 11 percent headquartered in the US.
GITEX runs Oct. 17-21 and will be an in-person event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
