According to Huawei’s statement on Wednesday, two out of the four teams that clinched the grand prize at the global final of the eight Huawei ICT competition, held in Shenzhen, China from May 23 to May 27, 2024, are from Nigeria. Huawei highlighted that among the 18 teams from Sub-Saharan Africa participating in the competition, those from Nigeria secured the highest number of prizes compared to other regions. The competition circuit for 2023-2024 saw an impressive turnout, with over 170,000 students from 2,000 universities and colleges across 80 countries participating.
“2 of the 4 teams that won the Grand Prize were from Nigeria -the Nigeria Cloud Team 2, and Nigeria Computing Team. Also, three teams from Nigeria were part of the six teams that won First Prize: Kenya Network Team 1, Kenya Network Team 2, Nigeria Network Team 1, Nigeria Network Team 2, Uganda Network Team 2, and Nigeria Cloud Team 1.
The Madagascar Network Team, Kenya Computing Team 1, and Uganda Computing Team won second prize. 5 teams won third prize: Kenya Cloud Team 1, Kenya Cloud Team 2, Kenya Computing Team 2, Ghana – Farm Choice (Innovation Track), South Africa – ATS (Innovation Track), and the Women in Tech Award was won by 2 teams: Uganda Network Team 2, Kenya Cloud Team 2,” the statement by Huawei said.
Expanding on their statement, the organization highlighted that the 2023-2024 ICT Competition circuit garnered participation from over 170,000 students representing over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 countries and regions. This notable turnout marks it as the largest offline competition since its inception in 2015.
“ More than 160 teams consisting of over 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions reached the global final in Shenzhen, having previously been successful in their respective national and regional competitions.”
The coach of the grand prize winning Nigeria cloud team two, Dr. Olayinka Jinadu of the University of Ibadan said, “this competition is really important to close the gap between academia and the application of that knowledge in Industry.”
Samuel Kariuki, a Professor at Zetech University and coach of Second Prize Kenya Computing Team 1, emphasized the value of the competition for students, stating, “The skills that the students are gaining through this competition will help them gain employable skills that are in demand in Kenya, and across the whole of Africa and maybe the whole world. This competition is helping our students gain the required skills so that they can easily gain employment in the future.”
Reflecting on her experience at the competition, Vhutshilo Maeba, a student from the University of Venda, who earned Third Prize for her team’s road safety innovation on behalf of South Africa, expressed, “It opened my mind to think more technically and to the fact that tech can be used to bridge any gap in the industry. It has exposed me to possibilities. [As far as future careers], it opened my mind and my world – everything is possible.”
Dr. Esther Muoria, Principal Secretary of the State Department for TVET at the Kenya Ministry of Education, appreciated Huawei for organizing such platforms, stating, “We in Kenya are really grateful to organizations like Huawei for organizing a fraternity like this one where a student will work knowing that they are not only working for the absolute knowledge that they are going to get in the process, but also towards an opportunity to really fight it out with others and be able to be awarded.”
Peng Honghua, President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, emphasized the significance of ICT in the modern world, stating, “ICT is the cornerstone of the intelligent world. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, we aim to provide students with a global platform to compete and exchange ideas.”
According to the statement, on the same day, Huawei also held the ICT Accelerating Education Transformation Summit, where 24 instructors were awarded the title Huawei ICT Academy Global Most Valuable Instructor for the first time.
The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual event aimed at global university and college students. Huawei established the ICT Academy in the Sub-Saharan African region in 2016, with 478 participating academies in the region – the most outside of China. Over 24,000 students from over 5,000 universities and colleges have participated in the competition to date. Huawei has engaged over 100,000 students and over 1,500 teachers in the ICT Academy in the region.
