From 7–9 April 2026, GITEX AFRICA Morocco returns to Marrakech under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI — and if you are building a startup on the continent, this is not just another tech event.
It is a proving ground.
Recognised as the largest technology and startup gathering in Africa, GITEX AFRICA Morocco 2026 arrives with a bold theme: “Catalysing Africa’s Digital Economy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
But beyond the policy conversations and AI frameworks, what truly defines GITEX is something more practical:
Visibility.
Validation.
Velocity.
And in 2025, two startups selected by Numeris Media embodied exactly why founders must be in the room.
For us, the startups that quietly stole the spotlight in 2025
At the 2025 edition of GITEX AFRICA Morocco, Numeris Media curated and spotlighted startups whose products were not just impressive — they were intuitive. Solutions that felt inevitable the moment you saw them.
Two stood out.
🌿 Deep Leaf — intelligence that understands the soil
Headed by El Mahdi Aboulmanadel, Deep Leaf is building technology that doesn’t just “collect agricultural data.” It interprets it in ways farmers can actually use.
In a continent where food security, climate volatility, and smallholder productivity intersect daily, Deep Leaf’s AI-driven agricultural intelligence platform simplifies complex agronomic insights into actionable decisions. It feels less like software — and more like a thinking companion for the farmer.
At GITEX 2025, investors didn’t lean in because of buzzwords.
They leaned in because the product made sense.
This is what GITEX does at its best: it places practical innovation in front of capital and policy architects at the exact moment it is ready to scale.
❄️ ColdBox Store — reinventing cold chain access
Led by Uzochukwu Mbamalu, ColdBox Store tackled another silent infrastructure problem: accessible, decentralised cold storage.
In many African markets, the lack of reliable cold chain systems means lost revenue for farmers, vaccine spoilage, and constrained food distribution. ColdBox Store’s model — modular, scalable, intelligently managed cold storage solutions — offers something deceptively powerful:
Access without complexity.
At GITEX 2025, what stood out was not just the hardware — it was the ecosystem thinking behind it. Distribution networks. Affordability models. Scalability strategy.
Investors see many slides.
At GITEX, they see working systems.
Why GITEX 2026 matters more than ever
The 2026 edition places Artificial Intelligence at the centre of Africa’s development architecture. The Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition, in partnership with the Digital Development Agency (ADD) and organised by KAOUN International, is positioning Marrakech as a strategic meeting point where:
- Public policy meets deployable technology
- Infrastructure meets investment
- AI ambition meets African reality
But here is what entrepreneurs must understand:
GITEX is no longer just a showcase. It is an execution arena.
As global AI systems reshape value chains, African founders have a narrow but powerful window to design context-specific solutions — sovereign, sustainable, scalable.
Deep Leaf did not wait for permission.
ColdBox Store did not wait for perfect conditions.
They showed up.
They demonstrated traction.
They entered continental conversations.
What happens when you show up prepared
Startups that come to GITEX prepared tend to experience three accelerators:
- Cross-Border Exposure – Investors and partners from the Middle East, Europe, and across Africa converge in one place.
- Policy Visibility – Ministries and digital agencies are not abstract names — they are physically present.
- Narrative Elevation – Media platforms (including Numeris Media’s Bank & Entrepreneur Africa) document, amplify, and contextualise high-impact founders.
In 2025, the founders of Deep Leaf and ColdBox Store didn’t just exhibit.
They entered continental discourse.
The 2026 question for founders
As AI infrastructure, digital public frameworks, and sovereign tech conversations dominate Africa’s next growth phase, the question for founders is simple:
Will you be building in isolation — or in ecosystem?
GITEX AFRICA Morocco is where ecosystems converge.
Not theory.
Not panel-only inspiration.
But structured convergence — between capital, policy, infrastructure, and founders ready to scale.
Marrakech has become more than a host city. It is a continental junction.
And if 2025 showed us anything, it is this:
The startups that step onto the GITEX stage prepared, clear, and product-led are not merely participants.
They become reference points.
April 2026 is approaching.
Africa’s digital economy is being architected in real time.
The only question is —
will your startup be in the room?
GET INVOLVED by clicking here
Numeris Média is media partner to GITEX Africa Morocco 2026