•The flagship program started globally in 2008 and has benefited almost 200 students in Kenya since 2014.
•The program aims to develop skilled, local ICT talent and bridge communication between countries and cultures.
Huawei Kenya kicked off the seventh cohort of students participating in the global Seeds for the Future program.
The flagship program started globally in 2008 and has benefited almost 200 students in Kenya since 2014.
The program aims to develop skilled, local ICT talent and bridge communication between countries and cultures.
By sharing ICT expertise and experiences in the global business environment, young people from different countries can learn about advanced technologies in the ICT industry and accumulate ICT expertise and skills through the Seeds for the Future program, contributing to the progress of the global ICT industry.
This year’s program will be held virtually for the first time providing a five day intensive training with more than 20 mandatory and elective courses offering 60 participants from around the country training in technology fields, including 5G, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing to empower students to understand the latest technology trends to equip them in today’s job market.
“We truly believe that talent is the key to success. It is why we invest so much in supporting Kenyan ICT talent which will not only drive the ICT industry but power every other industries. We hope these students will go on to play a significant role in this wonderful country’s development, and drive forwards the Digital Economy,” said Huawei Kenya CEO Mr Will Meng stated in his opening remarks during the event launch.
According to Digital Economy Strategy for Kenya, Digital Skills are a critical part of the country’s efforts to grow the digital economy.
Across the ICT ecosystem there is an urgent need for large numbers of technical staff who can address the challenges posed by this transformation and help the country take advantage of new technologies.
The Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs has worked closely with Huawei for several years to implement the Seeds for the Future program as well as other initiatives related to digital skills.
“Our government has made tremendous progress in digitization efforts. Recently the first phase of the National Data Center that is situated at the Konza Technopolis has gone online and already some of our government services and data is being hosted there. We commend Huawei technologies for working non-stop to get this project up and running, even during the pandemic-related disruptions. It is a good example of their continuing contribution towards growing Kenya’s digital economy,” said Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs, Joe Mucheru.
“When we launched Ajira three years ago we knew that the future of learning and work would be online and we stated that our aim was to create jobs for over one million young people. I thank partners such as Huawei who are helping us with Ajira and that are supporting us with other program. This program is exactly what we need and I really appreciate the company for developing an excellent curriculum,” added the CS.
The Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Mr Zhou Pingjian echoed the CS’ comments on the program and the importance of the digital economy: “I’d like to express my warm congratulations to all the participants of this commendable CSR program sponsored by Huawei. China places high importance on the development of digital economy and earnestly promotes international cooperation in this area.”
“We look forward to the participation in this Global Initiative [on Data Security, announced last week of national governments, international organizations and all other stakeholders. We welcome all the countries to step up communication and coordination, build up mutual trust and deepen cooperation with one another and build a community with a shared future in the digital world," added the Ambassador.