Huawei Kenya has launched their ICT Competition in Kenya for all university and college students with an IT background, including IT and Networking. The competition is aimed at enabling students to implement theories learnt in school and expose them to the global technology market, enabling them adopt to the digital era.
The Huawei ICT Competition 2018 – 2019, which is carried out in preliminary, national, and global final rounds, is the first of its kind in Kenya. For the year 2017-2018, at a global level, the competition attracted 40,000 students, from 32 countries, in over 800 universities. The winners of the Kenyan national round will get prizes including laptops and smartphones and go to China to compete in the global final.
Speaking at Zetech University during the first registration, Samuel Kinuthia, Lecturer and Huawei Certified Academy Instructor (HCAI) from Zetech University said “The response for the Huawei competition from Zetech University students was very good. Students from different levels participated in the registration process and all of them are excited with the exposure and opportunities they will get during and after the competition. We are pleased that the students are also interested in taking Huawei Certified Network Associate (HCNA) after the competition. We look forward to winning the national finals and represent our institution in the international finals in China.”
Mr. Kinuthia, further thanked the Huawei team for helping students understand Huawei products, certifications and for taking students through this process.
The second round of registration has been carried out in Strathmore University in collaboration with iLab Africa, and in Riara University with more to follow in subsequent weeks.
“Kenya is one of the leading countries in Africa for technology producing some fantastic technology innovations. It has some of the best technology infrastructure on the continent and is a fast adopter of new innovations. There are many highly talented technology students and graduates which we know will be able to compete strongly on a global stage. We are keen to see Kenyan students representing their country in the international stage, and we are sure they will benefit a lot from participating in various rounds of the competition,” said Su Shuqi, Training and Certification Manager of Huawei Kenya.
With the slogan “Connection· Glory · Future”, the competition aims to provide a platform for global ICT talent to compete and communicate, promote high-quality ICT talent development, and drive the growth of a robust and sustainable ICT talent ecosystem.
As an integral part of Huawei’s talent ecosystem construction, Huawei ICT Competition builds on Huawei’s ICT Academy program which has recently been expanding in Kenya with 12 local universities becoming partners, receiving training and becoming authorized to train their students on various ICT skills and get globally recognized Huawei certifications. The initiative plays a critical role in promoting ICT technologies, developing ICT talent, and bridging the talent gap. Huawei is an active driver of a digital, intelligent society, an enabler of digital transformation of industries and enterprises, and a preferred partner of industry customers.
Its other flagship talent program “Seeds for the Future”, was launched in Kenya in 2014 in partnership with the ICT Authority providing internships to more than 30 ICT students per year and selecting the top 10 students to go to China for hands-on learning and experiences of cutting edge ICT technologies in Huawei’s global Headquarters in Shenzhen while immersing the students in traditional Chinese language and culture.
The preliminary round of the Huawei ICT Competition will be held in more than 50 countries worldwide, with an expected number of 80,000 contestants from more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Registration for the Huawei ICT Competition is open until August and can be made online through the Southern Africa region page of the ICT competition at www.huaweiacad.com
