Huawei Technologies Zambia Ltd has for the second time introduced the Information Communications Technology – ICT competition to Zambian Universities, an initiative aimed at sensitizing the digital skill and encourage ICT studies among youths.
The initiative is a global event which provides a platform to students to showcase their abilities, compete, communicate and drive the growth of a robust ICT talent ecosystem for innovation-driven growth and inclusive development.
Speaking at the lunch of the second 2019/2020 Huawel ICT competition in Lusaka on October 4th 2019, Huawel Country Manager Antony Yu revealed that the event has this year’s attract over 2,000 students from universities across the country to participate in the contest with subjects including Network, Cloud computing, artificial intellengince and big data.
Yu added that winners of the contests in Zambia will be privileged to participate in the regional finals in South Africa and global finals at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China. “This event sees 10 Zambian students from 7 universities across the country departing on a trip to China for hands-on experience. Huawei Zambia has so far signed up 12 universities across Zambia in establishing ICT academies, where students can access to industrially-recognized certification courses,” he Said.
And the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie said ICT is one of the key areas of economic and trade cooperation between China and Zambia hence Huawei’s outstanding contributions to the development of Zambia’s ICT industry and the economy at large.
Jie added that the competition will strongly promote the cultivation of Zambia’s ICT industry and provide a steady source of manpower for the comprehensive development of Zambia’s economy and society.
At the same event, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications Misheck Lungu said government recognizes the critical role ICT’s play in the development process hence its massive investments in the ICT sector through the construction of mobile communications towers across the country and the contraction of an ICT Talent Training Center among others.
Meanwhile, the World Bank’s latest report points out that Southern Africa’s demand for digital skills in 2030 is as high. And according to the Zambia Information Communications Technology Authority – ZICTA, there is general shortage of ICT skills in both public and private sector in Zambia.
