Huawei has launched an ICT competition in Nigeria in partnership with local universities. The ICT Talent Ecosystem aims to cultivate local ICT talent. Furthermore, it wishes to promote a better understanding and interest in ICT and to develop a healthy ecosystem for the sustainable growth of this sector.
20,000 students involved in the ICT Talent Ecosystem
For the first time ever, global ICT solutions provider Huawei is bringing the event to Nigeria. The Huawei ICT 2018 competition has been launched in more than 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These include South Africa, Kenya and Zambia. So far, more than 20,000 students have registered. No less than 15 universities were expected to participate in the ICT Talent Ecosystem. The winners of the competition in Nigeria will have the opportunity to participate in the regional finals in South Africa and the global finals at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China. These include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, mobile networks and big data.
Developing the ICT sector for economic and social improvement
Exploiting the advantages of the digital revolution is one of the main missions of this ICT Talent Ecosystem. Thus, the partnership with Huawei was a natural fit, as a leading global provider of ICT products and solutions. Nigeria’s Minister of Communication, Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, added that “the development of the ICT industry is important for the economic and social development of the country and the betterment of the lives of the people. Therefore, improving the ICT infrastructure and cultivating ICT talent are essential measures for the country to achieve rapid development.
Harnessing the ICT potential of Nigerian youth
Meanwhile, Tank Li, General Manager of Huawei Abuja, Nigeria, said, “Creating a high-quality talent pool in the ICT sector is a critical success factor for governments wishing to move to a knowledge-based economy.” He even added that as one of the world’s leading innovators, knowledge transfer has always been a fundamental pillar of Huawei’s philosophy. Thus, this platform was created to demonstrate that young Nigerian talent has the potential to become world-class experts. And by strengthening industry-university cooperation, the equipment manufacturer hopes to contribute to the country’s development goals.
HAINA an ICT career certification program
On this occasion, the University of Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University, Lead City University, America University of Nigeria and Federal University Technology, also launched the Huawei Authorized Information and Network Academy (HAINA) program. This is a non-profit ICT career certification program. It aims to increase employment opportunities for young people by exposing them to more ICT knowledge and skills required in the labour market.
A competition in the presence of high-level personalities
The ICT Talent Ecosystem was launched at the “Nigerian ICT Talent Summit and Huawei IT Competition Launch Ceremony”. The latter, which was held in Abuja, brought together key players in the ICT sector. Among the personalities present were Hon. Minister of Communication, Dr. Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, FNCS; Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Zhao Linxiang; Vice President of Public Relations of Huawei, Xue Man; Tank Li, General Manager of Huawei Abuja Office, Nigeria; Professor Abubakar Rasheed, Chairman of the Nigerian University Governing Committee; and Presidents of the participating universities.
Photo credit: digitalbusiness.africa
