The technology companies eyeing expansion in the Middle East

When it comes to digital transformation, there is no denying the pace of change taking place across the Middle East and Africa.

The Middle East’s digital economy alone is projected to grow more than four-fold to around US$780 billion by 2030, according to Swiss bank UBS – marking a rate of change that would significantly outpace the global average.

Such exponential growth is driving increasing numbers of global technology companies to expand their presence and increase investment in the region.

This is certainly true for Endava, a London-based solutions provider and consultancy, set to expand its footprint in the region.

“We recognise the rate of change that the economies of the Gulf region are experiencing right now, with government visions accelerating diversification and digitalisation efforts as they prepare to meet the challenges of the evolving landscape,” says John Cotterell, CEO of Endava.

The company, which is publicly listed on the NYSE, and has a workforce of 12,000, is a global provider of digital transformation, agile development and intelligence automation services.

Endava is joining the Ministry of Economy’s NextGen FDI programme to extend its footprint in the UAE and has plans to build on the existing team in Dubai’s Internet City and relocate senior leadership and technical teams to the country.

As David Boast, Endava’s GM for the MENA region puts it: “We see incredible potential in the Middle East region. The UAE is embarking on an exciting digital transformation journey which we are delighted to be a part of.

“We believe that a stronger, deeper presence in the market can assist in the development of both localised strategies and homegrown talent to enable us to fully contribute to it.”

Tech giant Zoho plans to double hiring

SaaS giant Zoho Corporation is another tech company increasingly making its presence felt across the region.

Reporting more than US$1 billion in revenue in 2022, the India-headquartered technology firm has seen huge demand for its product and services across the MEA region.

Speaking at GITEX this week, Hyther Nizam, President of Middle East and Africa at Zoho said the UAE had quickly become one of the biggest markets for the company – both in revenue and growth.

“The MEA region is the fastest growing market for Zoho today, with its total revenue contribution inching towards 10% of our global figure, marketing a significant increase from the 2-3% it generated a few years ago, Nizam said in an interview with Zawya.

With such growth, and potential, the India-headquartered company is expanding its operations further in the region – with a new office and plans to move to a bigger space in a few years and plans to double hirings every two years.

“There is expansion planned across every office, with new hirings in Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa,” he says.

Yango to open operations office in Dubai

The rapid rate of digital transformation is behind Yango’s move to the region.

The ride-hailing app, which just recently made its Gulf debut launching in Dubai in September 2022, has now announced plans to open a new global operational office in Dubai, within Internet City.

Describing Dubai as “one of the most influential economic centres in the region”, Yango GCC General Manager Islam Abdul Karim said the Dubai office would serve as a ‘centre of excellence’ for Yango’s operations in more than 20 countries in the MEA region – and beyond.

Owned by Russian technology giant Yandex, Yango’s services include the Yango ride-hailing app, Yango Delivery, a last-mile delivery solution provider, and Yango Tech, which enables retailers to transition to an e-commerce framework.

Yango currently operates in 24 countries across Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East and Africa.

OpenAI eyes Middle East expansion with G42 partnership

With the UAE and Saudi looking to lead on AI technologies globally, it is perhaps unsurprising to see OpenAI, the company behind AI chatbot ChatGPT, eyeing expansion in the region. 

In a push to drive AI adoption in the UAE and other Middle East markets, the San Francisco-based company has joined forces with Abu Dhabi-based cloud and AI powerhouse G42 to extend its influence in the region.

Announced on the sidelines of GITEX, the partnership will see the two companies leverage OpenAI’s genAI models in sectors of G42’s expertise.

“Leveraging G42’s industry expertise, we aim to empower businesses and communities with effective solutions that resonate with the nuances of the region,” said Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI.