The President of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Hicham El-Habti, has declared that Africa stands on the brink of leading the global deep tech revolution.

Delivering his opening remarks at the ongoing second edition of the DeepTech summit, held recently at UM6P’s campus in Benguerir, Morocco, El-Habti highlighted Africa’s growing prominence in deep tech, with artificial intelligence serving as its catalyst.

He argued passionately for the continent’s emerging leadership in redefining innovation, stating, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution cannot afford to leave the Global South behind. Africa is not only ready to leap, but to lead.”

The event, themed “Redefining Progress: How AI is Transforming Deep Tech Innovation,” attracted over 7,000 participants from 53 countries, including 980 startups, underscoring global interest in Africa’s technology ecosystem.

El-Habti described deep tech as a force of high-impact innovation that applies scientific breakthroughs to address global challenges, particularly in sustainable agriculture, healthcare, green energy, and quantum computing.

“Whether we’re talking about sustainable agriculture, next-generation health systems, green energy, or quantum computing, deep tech is the foundation of a more resilient, inclusive, and intelligent future,” he said.

He emphasised AI’s role not as a fleeting trend but as a strategic enabler powering this transformation. “AI is a transformative general-purpose technology reshaping industries and public goods, but its full potential depends on ethical governance, equitable access, and fair global impact.”

Highlighting Africa’s demographic advantage, he noted that the continent’s greatest asset is its youthful, working population.

However, he stressed that unlocking this potential requires a robust ecosystem capable of turning aspirations into reality.

El-Habti concluded that the summit aims to foster science-backed entrepreneurship by bridging academic excellence with industrial agility, transforming research into ventures, and scaling bold, innovative ideas.

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is a forward-looking academic institution based in Morocco, emphasising applied research, innovation, and sustainable development.

With a strong focus on addressing African challenges, UM6P aims to become a leading international university by fostering cutting-edge research in science, technology, and social sciences while nurturing talent across the continent.

Over the past five years, UM6P has developed a dynamic entrepreneurship and venturing ecosystem tailored to meet the evolving needs of founders through market access, business support, and a strong community.

UM6P offers comprehensive end-to-end support across all startup stages while fostering technology transfer by connecting researchers with innovation and facilitating lab-to-market transitions.