By Aduragbemi Omiyale
More than 600 students drawn from Nigeria and other African countries have been trailed in emerging ICT technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, and AI, helping them get job-ready for the digital economy era.
The ICT training was facilitated by Huawei through one of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives known as Seeds for the Future launched in 2008.
The global programme aims to help nurture local talent, promote knowledge transfer, increase people’s understanding and interest in the ICT industry, and encourage countries and regions to participate in digital community building.
By 2021, the scheme has been implemented in 131 countries and territories worldwide, with nearly 9,000 students participating.
Since 2014, the program has been held in sub-Saharan African countries and so far, 25 countries in Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana, have participated in the training, which has so far benefitted more than 1,000 students.
In this year’s training, Huawei has paid more attention to bridging the gender divide in science and technology training. More than one-third of the total number of Seeds candidates were women.
According to the Mobile Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa 2020 report, released by the Global Association for Mobile Telecommunications Systems, sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-growing region in the world, and African countries have entered a rapid development of the digital economy era. In this process, ICT technologies are an important engine that drives countries’ development, and mastering ICT technologies is the engine’s key.
Through programs such as Seeds for the Future, Huawei cultivates ICT knowledge and skills for local youth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program took place via online learning and in-person where possible.
Students were offered the flexibility to access several ICT courses online at their own pace. They were invited to participate in science and technology roundtables and interact with youth around the world in real-time. Through 5G live broadcasts, students were able to join guided tours of Huawei exhibition halls and historic cultural sites in China.
Meanwhile, under the guidance of professional mentors from Huawei’s Tech4Good program, they were encouraged to design solutions to solve developmental challenges facing each of their countries and realize the value of the practical application of the theory they had learned.
In Ghana, nine ICT training sessions were held in junior high schools, senior high schools and universities. Currently, the ICT training program is still underway. In Madagascar, it provided basic digital skills and training to more than 30 women.
Governments in sub-Saharan Africa have also given high interest to the project. The South African government has included a series of talent development initiatives, including Seeds for the Future, in its national digital economy master plan.
The heads of state of Uganda, Mauritius, and Malawi have highly praised Huawei’s talent development plan. The President of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun said Huawei’s project would help build a national ICT talent team, strengthen youth employment capabilities, and support the National Digital Mauritius 2030 Strategic Plan.
Adedapo Adesanya