High-level delegations joined by government officials and business leaders from Brazil, Azerbaijan and Ethiopia visited GITEX Technology Week 2019 in Dubai this week where they participated in 100 bilateral meetings with key stakeholders from the UAE, including 16 promising startups exhibiting at GITEX Future Stars 2019.

The roadshows, organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s representative offices in Sao Paulo, Baku and Addis Ababa, familiarised visiting delegates with new opportunities emerging in the UAE’s technology sector as the emirate pushes ahead with its ambitious innovation strategy and digital transformation initiatives.

As part of the roadshows, delegations visited DIFC’s Fintech Hive, Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec) and Dubai Chamber’s headquarters where they met with officials and directors. During the meeting at Dubai Chamber, delegates learned about Dubai’s economy, business environment and competitive advantages, in addition to existing strategies and initiatives related to fintech, blockchain technology, Internet of Things and smart city solutions that are being adopted throughout the emirate.

In addition, Dubai Chamber released new analysis on the sidelines of GITEX 2019 highlighting key trends impacting the UAE’s ICT sector. According to the findings, spending in the UAE’s ICT sector is on the rise with the value projected to reach AED 23.1 billion by the end of 2019. Personal computers and software were among the fastest-growing segments of the market, recording year-over-year sales growth of 6.7% and 9.7% in 2018, respectively.