The world famous exhibition AfricaCom — the largest African telecoms, media, and technology event, took place in Cape Town, South Africa on November 07-09.
More than 13,000 people visit the event and 450 companies exhibit here every year, including more than 400 speakers on the main conference program for IoT, Big Data and Telecom etc. First time in twenty years companies from Russia exhibit at AfricaCom as the collective exposition platform.
10 Russian IT-companies were organized under the umbrella of Russian Export Centre that supported them both initially and financially. RUSSOFT Association developed the exhibition and business program for Russian delegates.
The companies exhibiting at the collective stand were: Geoscan (fixed-wing, multi-rotor unmanned aerial systems and magnetometer systems), WIMARK Systems (software solutions for multivendor Wi-Fi network management), Telebreeze (international software for IPTV/OTT projects), Mobility Lab LLC (enterprise mobility development), T8 (leading Russian manufacturer of wavelength-division multiplexing telecom equipment DWDM and CWDM) and others.
While exhibiting in Cape Town our companies showed their innovative solutions and met the progressive experience of their partners in the field of telecommunication technologies of the South African market. This year the event program embraced social and economic development, Internet of things, business technologies, digital ecosystems and transformation.
The business program developed for Russian exponents included many different activities both within the exhibition space and out of it. Delegates had a state reception at the Russian Consulate General in Cape Town, business meeting with Wesgro Investment Company at their office. They took part in the conference ID Africa that ended up with a business lunch, organized by S.E.S. – the global satellite operator in a seaside restaurant the Lookout, Waterfront; and the evening AFest party, that gave the delegates a chance to have informal talks with other exhibitors from different countries.
At the exhibition, Russian Consul General Roman Ambarov and Vice-consul Denis Belous visited our collective stand. In addition, our guests were Jason Maydew and Minister of Telecommunication Technologies of Namibia Tjekero Tweya. The collective meeting with the African Telecommunication lead of SAP Company Miriam Abdullahi, press conference with the Teletimes journalist and video shoot for Independent Media Channel. Two two-page opening about Russian –South African Relationship for The Africa Report Magazine has been fixed up. Moreover, a big amount of individual b2b meetings between exponents.
The Russian exponents were also included in the main conference agenda. StreamLabs, Uchi.ru and Mobility Lab spoke for Russian Federation at the international debates about E-learning and cybersecurity, and presented their innovative solutions for the telecom industry.
Russian exposition has generated considerable interest in the South African business society whose market demands the original and innovative IT solutions. Moreover, this interest is mutual – the Russian delegation has summed up the perspectives of entering the African market in a positive light and made a point of productive exhibition activity as well.
