How Huawei ICT Academy keeps moulding tech experts in Kenya
Sponsored by Huawei
Huawei Kenya CEO Gavin Gao and several guests pose with winners of the eighth edition of the Huawei ICT Competition during the award ceremony in Nairobi on March 15, 2024.
By Evans Ongwae
For the 10 years the Huawei ICT Academy has operated in Kenya, it has had a tremendous impact. Broadly, the academy has contributed significantly towards expanding the country’s pool of ICT professionals.
The ICT Academy Programme supports ongoing training for lecturers and students across universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions. It also runs a global ICT Competition, which provides additional training for students and challenges them to compete against their peers within Kenya, across the region, and globally.
In the past seven editions of the competition, many Kenyans have excelled, winning various awards at the regional and global levels.
Speaking on March 15 at the award ceremony for those who excelled in the national and regional round of the Huawei ICT Competition, Huawei Kenya Limited chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Gavin Gao, shared some interesting numbers. The stats painted a picture of the firm’s impact in building human resources for Kenya’s ICT sector.
Since the launch of the worldwide Huawei ICT Competition in 2016, the Academy has trained more than 320 lecturers in Kenya. It has also trained more than 12,000 students. In the latest (eighth) edition, over 5,800 students participated.
These numbers represent a growing pool of ICT savvy Kenyans, whom Education Cabinet Secretary, Dr Ezekiel Machogu, expects to participate strongly in Kenya’s digital economy. The CS was the chief guest at the award ceremony.
Mr Gao explained that through the international competition, Huawei shares ICT knowledge and stimulates interest in learning and innovation among the participating students. This gives the students the skills and knowledge to drive the industry forward, create businesses, and get jobs.
“We believe in people development,” he said.
University of Nairobi (UoN) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Stephen Kiama, highlighted how students and lecturers at the institution are benefitting from the competition. He said that every year, more than 700 UoN students enrol in and study for the competition. Of this number, 400 participate in the competition, with a number of them making it through the national and regional stages, thereby booking a ticket to the global finals in China. Additionally, the Huawei ICT Academy has trained more than 10 UoN lecturers.
More than 50 universities and colleges in Kenya are participating in the training programme.
Huawei Southern Africa Regional ICT Talent Manager, Ms Lydia Wakonyu, said the ICT Academy was bridging a noted gap. “Industry requires multi-skilled ICT experts. However, there has been a lack of vendor-specific industry knowledge or training. That’s why Huawei established ICT academies in Africa,” she said.
