MEA’S Divergent Growth Dynamics

The divergent growth dynamics of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region strongly signifies specific individual ICT requirements of each country. At GITEX 2005 these countries will have ample opportunities to explore and focus on their particular areas of interest, organisers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) announced yesterday (4th September).

GITEX 2005, the 25 edition of the event, will be held from September 25-29, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, taking up more than 42,000 square meters of gross floor space.

“Within the MEA region, for the period 2003-04, the UAE was the only country that registered a 20.9% market growth besides Turkey which grew by 31.6%. Saudi Arabia registered a growth rate of 14.8% during the same period, while other Gulf states witnessed just about 17% growth,” said DWTC Director General, Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri.

IDC figures indicate that during 2003-04, the Rest of Africa and the Rest of the Middle East regions registered growth rates of 20.8% and 19.1% respectively. While South Africa registered a 17.4% growth during this period, Egypt witnessed just about 5.8%.

The two countries with the largest populations, South Africa and Turkey, were again the largest country markets in the region in Q1 2005 and together accounted for just under a third of total shipments. In terms of uptake per person, the UAE led the field, with more than 51 PCs sold per 1,000 people, according to IDC.

The report points out that in the UAE, notebook shipments are on a par with desktops, and regularly outsell them. In South Africa, on the other hand, desktops outsold notebooks by more than three to one. In Egypt, this number was more than seven and a half to one. In the more underdeveloped parts of Africa, this number jumps to nearly nine to one, showing how important desktops are to emerging markets.

“GITEX 2005 is the only premier regional event which provides an ideal platform to network and conduct business for the MEA region which has such divergent growth dynamics but offers good market potential,” remarked Mr. Al Marri.

Acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost IT events, GITEX 2005 is all set to attract leading players from the industry. Last year the event hosted 939 exhibitors representing more than 2,428 companies from 41 countries and attracted 116,346 visitors.

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