- The company awards 2022 Huawei ICT global final competition winners
BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
Chinese owned multinational technology corporation Huawei has presence in Ethiopia with a name Huawei Ethiopia. As it is performing activities to change the innovation ecosystem across the world, Huawei has been arranging annual competition among among global higher education institutions. Ethiopian competitors ranked third in 2021-2022 Huawei ICT global final competition. The award is delivered through Huawei Ethiopia at the presence of State Minister of Education Samuel Kifle (PhD).
State Minister of Education Samuel Kifle (PhD) during the award ceremony said technolgical advancement is in the best interest and goal of the country. Therefore, such competitions have a role to play. “As MoE, we want to ensure that Ethiopia’s prosperity is in good hands and that Ethiopia’s multi-sector economy and ICT are among the factors for economic growth. Ethiopia has a large number of young people, and there are many talented people willing to pursue their dreams in Ethiopia. Because the future world will be based on ICT, such competitions are necessary to help them develop the skills they already possess.”
He also stated that he witnessed the establishment of the first Huawei ICT academy and is pleased to see the company now have 40 academies. He also underlined that more faculties, students, and universities should participate in the competition, and he also praised Huawei for creating this opportunity for students. Finally, he wished to see more Ethiopian winners by the coming years.
President of Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Dr. Dereje Engida also expressed his gratitude on his behalf, saying, “I am so happy to see our students being awarded in this ceremony; they are working hard and lecturers are also supporting them to achieve their target.” He also thanked Huawei for providing opportunities for students to become global citizens through participation in global competitions.
Huawei Ethiopia PR director Mr. Liming Ye in his part affirmed company’s commitment to sustain the effort and contribue share for development of ICT knowledge and practice in Ethiopia. “Huawei has always been committed to building a solid ICT talent ecosystem in Ethiopia. Under Huawei ICT Academy flagship project, we conduct ICT Competition, Seeds for the Future, and ICT Handshaking Forum.” He also added that as Ethiopia is at the dawn of digital revolution, ICT talent becomes the key assets of the economy. Huawei will tightly align with Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy and contribute to talent cultivation, of which the ICT competition is the best manifestation.
The company launched its fourth ICT Competition last May 2021 in Ethiopia. The competition was officially launched on 26th May, following Huawei’s strategy to develop Ethiopia’s ICT talent and innovation ecosystem. Over 1,000 participants from different Universities registered for preliminary contest, challenging their understanding of latest technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), and 5G…
It is announced to the winners in the award ceremony held on August 26, 2021 to provide a chance to take part in the Global Final in 2022 as Ethiopia’s national team.
This year, on May 25 and 26, 2022, the global final ICT competition was held online. Ethiopian winners from the previous year competed and ranked third. The two students who won the competition are Sileshi Nibret and Dawit Biruk; they are from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and Addis Ababa University.
Last year, the final competition was held among 20 top performers and six outstanding groups from 7 universities. Individual contestants competed in Network and Cloud tracks while the group contestants presented innovative ideas that solve daily life problems.
The Huawei ICT Competition is intended for students in Huawei ICT academies and those in higher education institutions that are willing to join the ICT Academy worldwide. Through this competition, Huawei aims to provide students with a platform to compete healthily and exchange ideas, thus enhancing their ICT knowledge and practical skills, as well as increasing their ability to innovate by using new technologies and platforms.
Since 2015, the Huawei ICT Competition’s influence has been growing. The 6th Huawei ICT Competition has attracted 150,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across 85 countries and regions. Ethiopian students have been taking part in the competition since 2019.
The global winners received their award from Dr. Samuel’s hand, which included a Huawei tablet, certificate, and medal, and the company also recognized three national winners through Dr. Dereje. In the ceremony, Huawei also announced that the 2022–2022 Huawei ICT competition has kicked off.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2022
