Nairobi — Eighteen Kenyan students have left the country to compete in the prestigious Huawei ICT Competition Global Final in China.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula flagged off the group alongside Dagoreti South Member of Parliament John Kiarie, who chairs the ICT committee in the National Assembly.
The event attracted over 120,000 students from 2,000 universities and colleges across 74 countries and regions. The global final will see six teams competing in the Cloud, Computing, and Network tracks, each accompanied by a university lecturer and supported by Huawei experts.
The Huawei ICT Competition, initiated in 2015 under the Huawei ICT Academy, collaborates with more than 50 tertiary education institutes to enrich the ICT talent pool and grow the industry. This competition is a crucial component of "LEAP," a talent ecosystem development program launched by Huawei in sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to cultivate over 100,000 ICT talents in the region within three years.
Wetang'ula praised Huawei for its advanced technology and leadership in innovation across Africa. Recalling his visit to Huawei Headquarters in China as Foreign Affairs Minister, he admired the cutting-edge work being done at the Huawei Campus. He congratulated the students and wished them success in the competition, inviting them for lunch at parliament upon their return from China.
"Technology is becoming integral to our daily lives, both personally and in business," the Speaker remarked. "Investing in our youth by providing them with the necessary resources to grow their skillset is essential to meet market demands for a skilled workforce." The government, through the Ministry of Education, continues to create initiatives and programs targeting the youth. These programs, both independent and collaborative with the private sector, have been instrumental in bridging the digital divide and building a skilled workforce.
In Kenya, Huawei has established ICT Academies in over 50 universities and vocational colleges, providing training in Networking, Cloud, 5G, and AI, annually training over 4,000 students. The Huawei ICT Skills Competition attracts over 6,000 students each year in Kenya alone, offering a platform for students to compete, win awards, exchange ideas, and enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, while increasing their ability to innovate using new technologies and platforms.
Mr. Gavin Gao spoke on Huawei's commitment to building the talent of Kenyan youth: "The talent ecosystem is the foundation of our business strategy. Talent is the most important factor to ensure the vitality and continuous growth of the industry. Huawei has made many efforts to train Kenyan ICT talent by sharing our knowledge and best practices. We team up with educational institutions, industry associations, and partners to build a platform to foster the ICT talent ecosystem."
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Hon. John Kiarie, Chair of the Parliamentary ICT Committee, encouraged the students, saying, "We are not only commissioning you to win at the Huawei Global ICT competition, but we are also counting on you to come back better skilled and equipped for the new world. You are the generation of IT thinkers and doers that will ensure Africa does not sleep through the fourth Industrial Revolution. GO WIN! Win for you, your families, your schools, your communities, and for Kenya!"
Through initiatives like LEAP, which organizes digital skills training and encourages student participation in relevant competitions, Huawei is committed to improving the digital skills of young people in the region and promoting employment competitiveness. This effort meets the substantial demand for digital talent in business and society.
