• The event targeted contestants from nine countries and attracted 332 participants
• Forty-nine African TVET students were awarded during the event
Image: MELINDA KIRWA
Season 8 of the annual Africa Tech Challenge event wrapped up in Nairobi last week, with five Kenyan institutes flying the country's flag high.
The Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes feted include the Coast Institute of Technology, Eldoret National Polytechnic and Kisumu National Polytechnic.
The others were Technical University of Kenya and Thika Training Institute.
The event targeted contestants from nine countries: Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The competition drew 83 teams and 332 participants.
Of these, 49 African TVET students were awarded during the event after they emerged winners.
Kenyan TVETs bagged various awards in two categories: Mechanical Drawing and Computer Aided Design (CAD), Software Application and CNC Lathe Machining.
The competition, which commenced in July, was spearheaded by the Chinese government through AVIC International Holding Corporation and the Kenyan Government.
The awarding ceremony was attended by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Also present were TVET PS Esther Muoria and AVIC International Project Engineering Company VP Xu Fei.
In the CAD team category, TUK (Kenya) won first place, Eldoret National Polytechnic (Kenya) came in second place while Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (Tanzania) came in third place.
Technological College in Fayoum (Egypt), Kisumu National Polytechnic (Kenya) and Westgate Industrial Training College (Zimbabwe) came in 4th, 5th and 6th place respectively.
In the CAD individual category, Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology’s Geoffery Masengwe (Tanzania) was awarded first place, while Technical University of Kenya’s (TUK, Kenya’s) Samuel Irungu and David Mwangi came in second and third places respectively.
For the CNC team category, TUK (Kenya) won first place, while Harare Polytechnic (Zimbabwe) won second place and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (Tanzania) came in third place.
The Coast Institute of Technology was awarded fourth place in this category.
In the CNC individual category, TUK’s Victor Mue (Kenya) won first place, Harare Polytechnic’s John Kamutimbe (Zimbabwe) second place and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology’s Innocent Adolf third place.
The winners of this category won scholarships to study in China as part of their award.
Other winners were given trophies and cash prizes, as well as internships and job opportunities.
Speaking during the event, PS Muoria said the Ministry of Education is determined to implement a set of initiatives to continue supporting TVETs.
“These will include revitalising TVETs to mainstream and improve its perception, rationalising and streamlining the TVET sector in terms of provisioning operating model and functioning structures.”
Tanzania’s Innocent Adolf expressed his excitement after being among the runners-up, saying the competition gave him an opportunity to gain skills he was going to replicate in his home country.
“I have never had such an experience before, so it was new,” he said.
“My only wish is that the Chinese government can work with our local government so we can get to experience such training as well as interact with such types of machinery and be exposed to such opportunities.”
Kenya’s Hillary Mutai, who bagged the most outstanding team leader award, said Kenya on a regional scale is more advantaged.
He said what lacks is the will by students.
“As a country, such an opportunity is proof enough that we are well positioned and more advantaged, but what keeps pulling us down is lack of goodwill. We have the capacity and we also have what it takes to remain the best,” he said.
“The tech challenge also offered us an opportunity to operate modern-day machinery, giving us an upper hand in the job market.”