The World Summit on Digital Health and Smart Medicine (HealthTech'26) in Rabat is poised to tackle Africa's healthcare challenges by fostering digital transformation through a multidisciplinary exchange among academics, practitioners, and health professionals. The summit brings together international partners to explore innovations like AI and IoT, aiming to enhance patient care and address ethical and governance issues in digital health. Illustrative photo / Ph. Soumia Kabbaj ‹ › The World Summit on Digital Health and Smart Medicine (HealthTech'26) is taking place in Rabat from February 10 to 12, with a strong focus on the challenges facing Africa's healthcare systems. This scientific and technical platform aims to support the digital transformation of health services in Morocco and across the continent by promoting a multidisciplinary exchange between academics, practitioners, researchers, and health professionals. According to the organizers, the summit responds to «the urgent need to support the rapid development of digital health and smart medicine in light of Africa's health, technological, and socio-economic challenges», while also creating a high-level scientific space for knowledge production, dissemination, and transfer in health innovation. In this sense, the third edition of HealthTech seeks to serve as a strategic platform connecting researchers, policymakers, institutions, professionals, civil society actors, and innovators. Bridging Disciplines for Digital Health HealthTech'26 is jointly organized by the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), the Moroccan Society for Digital Health (SMSD), the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), Mohammed V University of Rabat (UM5R), and the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO). This edition highlights Morocco's role as a continental hub for health innovation, within a framework of North–South and South–South cooperation, mobilizing national expertise, the Moroccan diaspora, and international partners. The opening day provided a forum for discussions and practical insights into the integration of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented and virtual reality in healthcare systems. Participants explored how these technologies can enhance research, experimentation, diagnostic accuracy, and disease prediction. Among the honorary presidents, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform and President of CAFRAD's Board, told Yabiladi that HealthTech'26 remains «a major event dedicated to digital health, bringing together European and Canadian partners, international medical associations, Moroccan professionals, and participants from other African countries». «This summit is fully aligned with the digital transformation of healthcare tools», she added, «and provides a space to reflect not only on improving patient care through digital solutions, but also on ethical challenges, health data governance, and responsible innovation». A Multi-Layered Scientific Program For Wajih Rhalem, President of the Moroccan Society for Digital Health, co-president of HealthTech'26, and professor at ENSAM–Mohammed V University of Rabat, the summit is above all an opportunity to «strengthen collaboration around scientific research». Nearly 200 national and international scientific papers were submitted ahead of the event. «Following a rigorous selection process, 122 papers were retained for oral presentation and will be published in an upcoming volume with Springer Nature in Germany», he explained. HealthTech'26 also features eight thematic panels, covering topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, intelligent hospital management systems, and emerging technologies in healthcare. Beyond the three main days of the summit, the overall program spans nine days, Rhalem noted. «The first three days are dedicated to a hackathon, bringing together university teams and start-ups developing digital health solutions», he said, adding that awards will be presented at the closing ceremony. A second initiative focuses on the Best Thesis competition, which has attracted dozens of candidates, with the top three winners receiving financial prizes to support further development of their research. The program also includes a Summer School, offering specialized training for young researchers and faculty members, organized at Mohammed V University through Rabat's Innovation City, with support from Technopark Morocco, which contributed to training young entrepreneurs. According to Rhalem, the objective is not only to showcase scientific output during HealthTech'26, but also to build a sustainable ecosystem that encourages long-term, multidisciplinary collaboration in digital health across Africa.
