Chief Guest at the ceremony was Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, who spoke about the importance of technology skills and collaboration between academia and industry leaders: "The Ministry of Education is fully aware of the importance of using technology in teaching, and in producing a workforce with high technology skills. We are very pleased to see the outcomes of partnerships with industries such as Huawei and Safaricom, as well as international organisations such as UNESCO, to support the training of lecturers and students in high-end ICT skills such as Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and cloud computing to address the skills gap in the ICT sector."
Before participating in the prize-giving ceremony, he commended the students: "Today we recognize some of the best ICT talent in the country through awarding the winners of the Huawei ICT Competition. This is a noble initiative that brings the latest curriculum and knowledge to our students and then also gives them opportunities to gain more international exposure and internships - both of which are very important, and very complementary to what the students get at University. I wish to appreciate Huawei for this, and acknowledge the great achievement of the competition in attracting 5,800 Kenyans to take part from over 40 Universities nationwide."
The Huawei ICT Competition, initiated in 2015 as part of the Huawei ICT Academy is a collaborative effort to enrich the ICT talent pool by transferring the latest knowledge from a global technology leader. The 2023-2024 edition featured four distinct tracks: cloud, computing, network, and innovation, reflecting Huawei's dedication to diverse technological fields.
"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Education for working with us to ensure the success of this ICT competition enabling young people to build their skills and promote innovation. We all need to continue this important work to ensure we create value from the Digital Superhighway paving the path for youth around the country to have a brighter future." Gavin Gao, CEO of Huawei Kenya said in the ceremony.
Mr Alexandandros Makarigakis, Director and Representative UNESCO Multi-sectoral regional office for Eastern Africa noted in his remarks that three weeks ago, the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa officially declared 2024 as the "Year of Education": "And this commitment could not be timelier, as the continent faces a severe education crisis: Africa has the world's largest out-of-school population; Even those in school are not learning; and there is a huge shortage of qualified teachers."
He went on: "Overcoming these challenges requires a transformative approach to education that harnesses digital technology to unlock learning opportunities. At the heart of UNESCO's strategy lay three fundamental pillars, or what we call the three Cs to unlock digital learning: content, capacity, and connectivity."
In Kenya, Huawei has established ICT Academies in over 50 universities and colleges, providing access to cutting-edge technology training in networking, cloud computing, 5G, and AI. Annually, these academies train over 4,000 students, contributing significantly to the ICT skills landscape. The Huawei hardware installation base in Kenya has been recognized by the Ministry of ICT Innovation and Youth Affairs, playing a pivotal role in nurturing Kenya's ICT talent pool and supporting national development initiatives.
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