When it is not selling smart devices or communication equipment, Huawei likes to hold a series of activities, including ICT competitions, the latest of which was held in Africa and saw participation from several teams across the continent. Christened Sub Saharan Africa Huawei ICT Competition, the show saw two Kenyan teams achieve second place tied with Angola, while Nigeria and Tanzania tied om the first place. The contest attracted students from over 100 universities in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana and Mauritius.
The Kenyan teams were made up of five male students and one female. It had previously taken part in regional finals after qualifying from the national levels in September. The regional finals were staged om Woodmead, Johannesburg where 42 students in 14 teams sat for theoretical and practical tests about cloud computing, AI, mobile networks and big data.
The Kenyan team, which comprises of Richard Wanjohi, Maraguri Mwai and Zipporah Wachira, will travel to Shenzhen, China on 24 to 27 May 2019 to take part in the global finals as one of the 40 teams participating in the event. Huawei says that teams will experience and share the latest information on technology and industry trends, whilst also gaining theoretical and practical insights.
‘The Kenyan Team took Huawei Certified ICT Professional course and had an intense 10-day training before departure to Johannesburg. We are very proud of team Kenya,” said Su Shuqi, Head of ICT Academy at Huawei Technologies Kenya Company Limited.
“Huawei understands the value of a good talent ecosystem which is the foundation of a smart future. This ICT Competition is part of our innovative initiative to support that and promote ICT skills. We believe that this event will inspire more students in Africa to develop an interest in ICT by providing a world-class stage to showcase and consolidate the vital ICT resources necessary for Africa’s development” said Mr Xue Man, Vice President of Huawei, at the regional award ceremony.
“As one of the winners of the Huawei ICT competition 2018-2019, I would recommend this program to anyone who has interest in the field of networking or any other computer related field. I am a testimony, the journey is amazing, and you are assured of a world-class ICT experience,” noted Zipporah Wachira, the only Kenyan female ICT student.