12 university students feted at Huawei ICT competition

12 university students from different institutions were today feted at the Huawei ICT competition 2022-2023.

The competition aims to promote the healthy development of the ICT talent ecosystem and support the integration of industry into academia.

Huawei is committed to building a talent ecosystem through a series of programs that support students in academia to easily transition to the ICT industry.

Having launched in Kenya in 2018, the competition has attracted over 12,000 Kenyan students from over 40 universities and colleges.

Globally, it has covered 82 countries with 150,000 students participating from over 2000 universities and colleges.

Huawei trains students on four different tracks namely, network, cloud, innovation, and computing.

It also supports students by providing a free learning space, advanced training, Huawei certification, and offering internship opportunities.

Laikipia University’s Brian Rutto emerged as the overall winner under the cloud category while Riwell Wambugu from Cooperative University was the overall winner under the network category.

Denis Fundi from Laikipia University and Humphrey Mwambanji from Machakos University won the second-place award under the network category.

USIU’s Rush Morgan and Julius Mugambi from Zetech University won the second-place award under the cloud category.

Under the network category, in third place, Ryan Chirongo, UON, Martin Mwiti, Machakos University, and Collins Mwirigi, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton were awarded.

JKUAT’s Tyler Mercy, Laikipia Univeristy’s Dan Ronoh, and Africa Nazarene’s Cavin Karema came in third place under the cloud category.

Excellent ICT competition instructors who were awarded were JKUAT’S Jonathan Mwai, Machakos University’s Franklin Mutisya, and Laikipia University’s Alex Kibet under the network category.

Zetech’s Samuel Kariuki and UON’s Ruth Wambua were awarded under the cloud category.

The University of Nairobi was feted as the best Huawei ICT academy.

17 students also received internship opportunities from Huawei and its partners.

Huawei also acknowledged new partnerships with several universities.

Some of them included Equip Africa Institute, Kaimosi Friends University, Taita Taveta University, and Umma University.

Ministry of ICT and digital economy secretary admin Chimwanga Mongo who spoke on behalf of PS John Tanui said that programs such as the Huawei ICT competition are vital towards calculating top ICT talents in our country’s digital economy.

“With Huawei’s commitment to training 10,000 ICT talents for the next three years, I am confident that together with other government and private sector players, we can achieve this masterplan,” Mongo said.

He congratulated the students and added that we must continue upgrading our training programs, curriculum, and teaching methods as well as take advantage of the internet to spread opportunities to all Kenyans.

Ministry of education secretary admin Frederick Ndambuki who represented PS Beatrice Inyangala commended Huawei on its continued investments in students and its commitment to creating value in countries where it operates.

“It is evident that talent is crucial in the growth and development of various industries. The development of ICT has greatly changed business models and operations across various sectors,” Ndambuki said.

“As a result, across the ICT ecosystem, there is an urgent need for large numbers of experts and technical staff who can address the challenges and growing demands caused by this transformation.”

Speaking on behalf of UON VC Stephen Kiama, dean of students Johnson Kinyua said that digital skills have now become the defining factor in how Kenya will forward.

“There exists 40,000 digital skills talent shortage in Kenya and to mitigate this, our youth require skills,” he said.

He also said that through the university’s strategic partnership with Huawei, over 50 students under management training have secured jobs.

UNESCO regional office for EA project officer Scheherazade Feddal who represented the regional director Hubert Gijzen thanked Huawei for investing in Kenyan youth, technology for schools, and extending advanced training for universities.

“Education holds value and power. I am excited to see the collaboration between the private sector and academia in this competition,” she said.

“UNESCO has a long history of collaboration with Huawei and is delighted to see the fruits of the partnership amongst the high-quality educated students here today.”

Huawei Kenya deputy CEO Kevin Wen said they are grateful for the support that they have received from the government, UNESCO, and many universities within the country.

He said that they are committed to bridging the digital gap by contributing greatly to the local ICT talent

This is through various training programs curated for university and college students as well as public servants.

“For over 24 years, Huawei has always committed to building a better connected Kenya. We will continue contributing through building digital infrastructure, providing jobs and internships for the students as well as transferring skills,” he said.

Wen added that for over 20 years, Huawei has been instrumental in not only building the ICT infrastructure in Kenya but also nurturing local ICT talent.