Marrakech is preparing to host the “GITEX Africa” technology exhibition from May 29 to 31, with the participation of major technology companies in the world such as Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, NVIDIA, and Google. GITEX Africa will also include hundreds of startup companies seeking to excel in the field of artificial intelligence from various parts of the globe. This event opens the door for Africa to embrace a new wave of investments in the field of artificial intelligence.
Experts believe that artificial intelligence presents a significant opportunity for developing various sectors in the African continent, including agriculture, healthcare, finance, transportation, as well as energy and logistics services. Forecasts suggest a potential annual growth rate of up to 30% over the next six years, resulting in a total market worth $17 billion by 2030. This underscores the urgency to accelerate the development of human resources on the continent, direct investments to support small projects, along with implementing policies, improving infrastructure, and addressing several local challenges.
Regarding the healthcare aspect, experts have highlighted Africa’s need to adopt artificial intelligence technologies to digitize patients’ medical records, as 90% of this data is still recorded on paper. This is in preparation for establishing unified and digital medical records to address the challenges faced by the healthcare sector on the continent, which suffers from a shortage of doctors, with just one doctor for every 10,000 patients, while the ratio in developed countries reaches one doctor for every 250 people.
