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South Africa Shines in Huawei’s Global ICT Competition

Published

11 months ago

June 17, 2023

A team from South Africa comprising students and graduates from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) has achieved remarkable success at the annual Huawei Global ICT Competition. After competing against tens of thousands of students from Sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide, they secured a spot in the Global Final held in Shenzhen, China. This prestigious event featured 146 teams from 36 countries vying for top honours in various categories as reported by Africa.com.

The Huawei ICT Competition, renowned as one of the world’s largest ICT events, aims to foster the development of ICT talent for industry growth and digital transformation. In this edition, Huawei sent 19 teams from 8 Sub-Saharan African countries, 76 students, to the Global Final. The impressive performance of teams from South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria reflects a significant milestone for the ICT Academy program in the region.

Yang Chen, Vice President of Huawei Southern Africa, expressed delight at the strong showing of Sub-Saharan African teams, stating that Huawei remains committed to nurturing ICT talent in the region. The exceptional results the Sub-Saharan African teams achieved underscore this commitment’s success.

The South African team overcame numerous challenges to reach the Global Final, including national and regional finals. This feat is commendable, considering that 16,742 students from the Southern Africa region participated in the 2022-2023 ICT competition.

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Lutho Sigidi, a graduate from UKZN and the team leader, believes that the lessons learned during the competition will greatly benefit his and his teammates’ future careers. The exposure to innovative technologies and processes provided invaluable insights, enhancing their professional prospects.

Terry-Anne Fredericks, a student from UJ, considers reaching the Global Final a massive achievement. Despite starting with minimal knowledge of networking engineering, she embraced the challenge and learned that with dedication, anything is possible.

Nqubeko Shabala, another UKZN graduate and team member, described the experience as eye-opening and exciting. The supportive and cheerful atmosphere of fellow contestants, instructors, and industry professionals made the journey even more enjoyable.

The Huawei ICT Competition serves as a platform that brings together governments, educational institutions, training centres, and industry enterprises to promote the growth and employment of young ICT professionals. By nurturing and empowering talent from universities and colleges, the competition contributes to the thriving ICT talent ecosystem.

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