Ai Everything MEA Egypt’s first year concluded today with milestone AI announcements, partnerships and cross-cutting AI use cases The all-AI Summit and Showcase will be held next June 1-2, 2027
CAIRO, EGYPT – 12 February 2026: Ai Everything Middle East & Africa (MEA) Egypt 2026 concluded today after two days of packed venues and strong international participation, marking the groundbreaking debut of the region’s most comprehensive artificial intelligence platform spanning infrastructure, enterprise deployment, investment and startups.
A deep recognition of the strategic importance and untapped economic potential of AI prevailed as global AI companies, startups, prominent AI experts, investors, and policymakers gathered in Cairo to discuss and debate what an intelligence-driven future looks like and how policy, finance, and global cooperation can work together to accelerate the technology’s trajectory.
His Excellency Raafat Hindi, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, highlighted Egypt’s commitment to building a strong and globally competitive AI ecosystem while supporting the launch of the event in Cairo. Commenting on the launch, he said, “Hosting Ai Everything MEA Egypt 2026 demonstrates Egypt’s commitment to promoting AI innovation, talent and investment in the region. We are confident that by next year, our ICT industry will be further strengthened and Egypt’s AI ecosystem will be even bigger, and we look forward to an even more impactful edition in 2027.”
More than 250 AI startups unite to form the region’s most concentrated innovative AI showcase
Among the high-profile startups, UK-based Emotii has unveiled the first-ever “emotionally intelligent communications” platform. Agent AI systems are designed to decipher emotional nuances in real-time multilingual communication, helping you communicate in meetings, live events, and global teams, positioning AI as an essential tool to ensure words are understood, not just translated.
Customer service and sales, often the first touchpoint between businesses and consumers, are being redesigned with Amira AI. The company’s MIRA platform replaces multiple sales and service tools with a single AI system that not only manages customer interactions but can also train human agents through AI simulations. Deployed by more than 150 companies, including Audi, DP World, and L’Oréal, the platform highlights how AI-first architectures can deliver real improvements in customer satisfaction and cost efficiency.
In the agriculture sector, Datalentech showcased how AI can impact food production long before products reach the market. Its decision-making engine, Paula, predicts key variables in poultry farming, including feed efficiency, mortality, and price, weeks in advance with over 90% accuracy. For producers, uncertainty turns into planning and data into economic outlook.
Egyptian startup IRRI Vision has announced an AI-powered retinal screening designed to detect sensitive eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity, which can lead to irreversible blindness if diagnosed late. The system brings AI diagnostics to the forefront of healthcare by integrating directly into clinical workflows and portable imaging devices.
YouTube celebrity with 2.3 million fans checks out the reality behind AI content
In one of the most well-attended conference sessions, Ahmed El Ghandour, a celebrity content creator and one of the most-watched science channels in the Arab world, cut through the noise surrounding artificial intelligence with a keynote focused on clarity over hype. Speaking on “Simplifying AI for the Arab World,” Elghandour said, “AI is no longer an emerging technology; it is already reshaping governments, markets, and societies. The challenge is to explain this transformation clearly and objectively, without hyperbole or fear-driven narratives.”
He added that the goal should be to empower, not intimidate: “AI presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities for graduates and professionals alike. Our responsibility is to help people understand AI, rather than overwhelming them with complexity.”
From banks to unicorns: AI built for scale and inclusion in fintech
Global experts highlighted how AI is moving from industry transformation to intelligence-driven operations across financial services.
Mashreq Group CEO Ahmed Abdelal described the banking industry’s transition to an industry where speed of adaptation is more important than raw computing power. He said, “Banking is evolving into an intelligence industry. It’s no longer about having the biggest or fastest AI system, but about having the agility to adapt and deploy AI in ways that create value.”
This theme was echoed by Ahmed Yehia, CEO of FinTech and Digital Lifestyle at e&, who pointed to the role of AI in simplifying and democratizing financial services. “Customers today expect seamless, intuitive experiences, which is why we consistently invest in AI. Our real strength lies in providing solutions that people can easily adopt and trust.”
A high-impact panel featuring leaders from OPay and MNT-Halan, two of Africa’s most valuable fintech unicorns, examined why AI systems built under real-world constraints such as uneven connectivity, regulatory complexity, and price sensitivity outperform many Silicon Valley models. Dotun Adekunle, COO/CTO, OPay Nigeria, and Ahmed Mansour, Head of Data & Analytics, MNT-Halan, highlighted how need-driven innovation has accelerated financial inclusion of underserved populations and the adoption of AI in digital payments.
From an investment perspective, Gerald Koh, venture senior investment manager at Gobi Partners, an influential venture firm in Asia with US$1.6 billion in assets under management, offered a candid assessment of how AI funding dynamics are changing. This session highlighted new funding routes, from multi-currency structures to offshore liquidity hubs, while supporting startups with clearer revenue models and market scalability.
With the first edition attracting international participation and industry momentum, Ai Everything Middle East & Africa Egypt will return to Cairo on June 1-2, 2027, deepening its focus on AI-driven growth, enterprise adoption, and startup scale across the region and beyond.
About Ai Everything Middle East & Africa Egypt 2026
The 1st Ai Everything Middle East & Africa Egypt, to be held in Cairo on February 11-12, 2026, will be hosted by GITEX GLOBAL, the world’s largest technology, AI and startup show, and organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in strategic partnership with the Information Technology Industry Development Authority, under the patronage of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. (Ichida). The event, billed as the first all-AI summit and expo of the year to open in Cairo, will bring together leading technology and AI companies, startups, investors, and leaders from the public and private sectors to harness the potential of AI research, real-world use cases, and results-driven applications that will transform the industry and support national goals under the National AI Strategy 2025-2030.
Ai Everything MEA Egypt will be held next year on June 1-2, 2027.
Media Contact: Sean Muir, PR Director, GITEX | aieegyptmedia@dwtc.com
