GITEX 2025 : Hope For Africa’s Digital Future

Business rounded off yesterday April 16 at the 3rd edition of GITEX Africa 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco, on a high note of optimism about the trajectory the continent’s digital journey is taking. On the second and last days of the mega event, diverse activities including fireside chats and conferences unfolded under a wide gamut of themes, with speakers highlighting the need for Africa to take its technological innovation ambitions to another level.
In one panel that looked at funding opportunities for fintechs, the speakers were unanimous that putting in place a robust financial inclusion ecosystem will open up the stage for stronger participation in Africa’s digital economy. The CEO of the Rwanda Stock Exchange and Chairman of the East African Securities Exchanges Association, Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba, who was part of the panel, highlighted the importance of fintechs using the stock exchange market to source funding for their scale up. He noted that in order to bridge the financial inclusion gap, fintechs have an extremely essential role to play, and this also means startup promoters having the right strategy and finding the investors who can pump in the funds.
Other panels during the final days of the event also beamed the flash light on generative AI and how it can be integrated into the public as well as private sectors in order to streamline service delivery and cross-border trade. Speakers posited that AI is an emerging technology which Africa must embrace, but through an approach that factors in the African reality and context, and with guardrails which can mitigate potential AI harms. Having a strong digital economy also requires a robust cybersecurity architecture. This was also the subject of a number of panels where experts underscored the need for h...