INSIGHT
IS JOHANNESBURG THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECH CAPITAL OF AFRICA? We are often asked, “How big is the Artificial Intelligence Tech Sector in Africa?” So we set out to research that very question and the results of two years of analysis are now starting to emerge.
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SYNAPSE | 3RD QUARTER 2021
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owards the end 2017 we set out to fill a gap in the Africa artificial intelligence / 4IR tech business sector in Africa by creating The AI Media Group. Launching in early 2018 we set out to create a new hybrid analysis, trade, consulting and media agency that would have at its heart, a thriving community discussing the application of 4IR technologies. We also wanted to help unite decision makers, investors, buyers, suppliers, innovators, SMBs and global brands in the Africa region. Over the intervening three years, we created the AI Expo Africa community, with 17K+ practitioners and the largest B2B Artificial Intelligence, RPA & Smart Tech community trade event in Africa. Coupled to our curated business audience we also launched Synapse trade magazine, a unique quarterly trade journal giving a voice to small and large companies alike and a platform to showcase Africa 4IR products and services to a much wider global community. As the now de facto regional trade body focusing solely on B2B 4IR trade in this technology category, we are now a trusted soft-landing entry point into the Africa market for trade missions, corporates and start-ups seeking to launch in this region. Dr Nick Bradshaw, CEO and founder of AI Media Group states, “It wasn’t like that in the beginning, starting as a small bootstrapped company ourselves, we quickly realised the analysis landscape for this sector was literally zero and what available reports we could find lacked depth and country coverage. Established analysis firms had fairly “blank” maps or fragmented data sets on the region which was surprising to us as this was not the reality we saw on the ground. So a key goal for us was to shine a light on the growing and vibrant AI tech ecosystem on the African continent.” Bradshaw adds, “Over the last two years we have been building a much more detailed picture analysing organisations that are active in the African AI tech ecosystem both local, regional and global, as well as commercial and non-commercial entities. We also looked at No. employees, Industry, HQ City, Country, Sector, Year founded and Specialities.”
