The Huawei ICT Competition is believed to be one of the biggest virtual events in Africa attracting thousands of students across the continent.

[LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, OCTOBER 5, 2021] – With many students across the country already submitting entries into the Huawei ICT Competition for Southern Africa, Huawei has called for more entries, stating that registration period will go on up to 26^th November 2021.

The Huawei ICT Competition is a competitive ICT talent exchange event developed by Huawei for global college students. It is aimed at promoting a healthy development of ICT talent eco-system and support the integration of the industry and education.

With the initial due date extended to November 2021, Huawei hopes to accommodate as many entries as possible. Speaking to Mwebantu Media today, Mr. Hansen He, the Director of Public Relations at Huawei Technologies said, the entries have so far been overwhelming and students have requested for ample time to allow them register in numbers.

“We are urging all ICT Academies to encourage many students to participate because want as many students as possible to register for this event. We are still accepting entries up to 26^th November 2021 and we anticipate to accommodate more students. We equally want to see more female students participate this time around. This is because mostly, the ICT industry has been perceived as a male domain and we want to help break that stereotype through events like these” Mr.  He said.

Launched in the region just five years ago, the Huawei ICT Competition has developed into the largest ICT skills competition in Africa and Zambian students have been consistent participants. The competition that will be held under the theme “Connection, Glory, Future will tentatively kick off with an online opening ceremony, on the 26^th November 2021 preceded by preliminary exams slated for the same date. The National final is slated for January 2022.

Ever since, its launch, the ICT Competition has been growing from strength to strength. Globally the Huawei ICT Competition 2019-2020 has covered over 70 countries worldwide, with 150 000 contestants from more than 2,000 universities and colleges.

According to Huawei, holding the online version of the ICT competition during the pandemic has a unique value. It is a clear demonstration that Huawei takes its talent strategy seriously. The competition will mainly encompass three aspects; digital upskilling ICT professionals, encouraging and enabling ICT students, and promote ICT literacy among ordinary people.

With a series of talent ecosystem campaigns in Sub Saharan Africa, including the ICT competition, Huawei hopes to skill up more than 700,000 ICT professionals by 2023. The aim is to bridge the ICT talent gap, advance the digital transformation of industries, and bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.