Three Ugandan ICT student teams put up an impressive display in the 8th Huawei ICT Competition worldwide final, which was held in Shenzhen, China. Ugandan students won the following prize or prizes:
Network Track Team 1 (Muni University and Gulu University) won the grand prize.
Network Track Team 2 (Kabale University) took first place.
Team 1 of the Computing Track took second place (Muni University)
Women in Technology Award: Kabale University’s Network Team 2
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, in State House Nakasero, Maama Janet K. Museveni, the First Lady of Uganda and Minister of Education and Sports, gave this group of thirteen pupils a ceremonial welcome and wished them luck as they represented Uganda in the Global Final ICT Competitions.
The pupils’ perseverance and dedication to the competitions, which have brought them to the worldwide finals, were acknowledged by the First Lady. She urged the pupils to show tenacity as they represent their nation, fly the Ugandan flag proudly, and triumphantly return home. She also congratulated the pupils on their outstanding accomplishment at the competition held in the Southern African Region and gave them the assignment to repeat the feat internationally.
Since its start in 2015, the greatest offline tournament has been the 2023–2024 ICT tournament circuit, which drew over 170,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 nations and regions. Over 160 teams, with over 470 competitors from 49 different nations and regions, qualified for the global final in Shenzhen after winning their respective national and regional championships.
During the press conference, H.E. Oliver Wonekha, the Ugandan ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, expressed gratitude to Huawei for the effort and stated that “this competition means a lot.” The path forward is through digital transformation and AI. Huawei is making crucial and timely decisions with its actions.
“I congratulate all the students for not just having shown interest and engaged, but for having come this far in the competitions,” said Madam Ambassador in closing. She added, “As for you students from Uganda, make sure you go back home and help in the development of the country because the future is in your hands,” to her closing remarks.
Zhou Hong, the president of Huawei’s Institute of Strategic Research, gave a speech to the finalists of the Huawei ICT Competition 2023–2024 at the final closing and awarding ceremony. He said, “HUAWEI believes it is crucial to guarantee that digital technologies are accessible to all, so that everyone can truly enjoy the benefits of digitalization while such technologies are making radical progress.”
The ICT strategy and business development department president at Huawei, Peng Honghua, stated that ICT is the foundation of the intelligent world. Our goal with the Huawei ICT Competition is to give students a global forum for competition and idea sharing.
Huawei also hosted the ICT Accelerating Education Transformation Summit on the same day. 24 teachers were named Huawei ICT Academy Global Most Valuable teachers (MVI) for the first time during the summit by Huawei. The purpose of this award is to honor the significant contributions these educators have made to the development of talent and to recognize them as role models who demonstrate how the most brilliant minds may produce even more brilliant brains. The ICT talent ecosystem will grow sustainably with the support of these role models.
One of Uganda’s Most Valuable Instructors, Mr. John Peter Olinga, spoke at the forum. He covered in detail two issues that we needed to address in order to increase the rate of ICT talent development and hasten adoption in the Ugandan industry: first, ensuring equitable access to hands-on learning about these technologies; and second, minimizing or closing the gender digital divide.
Because the Huawei ICT Competition offers a single pack of technical, professional, and soft skills in a condensed amount of time, Mr. John Peter urged more students to participate. “I appreciate Huawei for helping Uganda take the first important gigantic steps towards the development of ICTs,” he said in closing.
Every year, Huawei hosts the Huawei ICT Competition, which is open to college and university students worldwide. Huawei hopes to give students access to a global forum for constructive competition and idea sharing through the competition. Since its inception in 2015, the competition has aided students in improving their practical and ICT expertise, as well as their capacity for innovation through the use of new platforms and technologies. The ultimate objective is to promote global digital inclusion and technological advancement. The Huawei ICT Competition is one of Huawei’s main Seeds for the Future 2.0 initiatives, and its goal is to give college students a global forum for competition and communication.
