Nigerian Teams Shine at Huawei ICT Competition

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Four teams from Nigeria have secured two grand prizes, and two first prizes at the Huawei ICT competition 2023-2024 global final.

At the fierce competition held recently in Shenzhen, China, designed to help students enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, the Nigerian teams emerged part of 19 teams from nine countries who won the grand prizes of the practice and innovation competitions.

This 8th edition of the Huawei ICT Competition themed ‘Connection, Glory and Future’, attracted more than 170,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 countries and regions, making it the largest offline competition since its launch. More than 160 teams consisting of over 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions made it through national and regional competitions to reach this year’s global final.

The Nigerian team comprising four students from the University of Ibadan – Rufus Adisa, Tolani Adisa, Chibueze Ibekwe, and Lawrence Chukwuemeka- won the grand prize in Computing Track category.

In the Cloud Track category, another Nigerian team also from the University of Ibadan won the grand prize. The students were – Lukman Abdulyekeen, Sodiq Babawale, and Temiloluwa Oloye.

Two teams from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, also won first prizes in the Network Track category. Students in team one included Knimi Musa, Kaosar Ahmad, Taiye Ayantola, Oluwagbemiga Ogundele; and team two consisted of Justus Ilegieuno, Yusuf Toye, and Jamiu Dahunsi.

The Nigerian stars beat thousands of competitors at the national competition, testing a range of practical and theoretical digital skills, and represented Nigeria at the regional contest where they qualified for the finals in China.

Speaking at the event, Ritchie Peng, President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, said, “ICT is the cornerstone of the intelligent world. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, we aim to provide students with a global platform to compete and exchange ideas.”

Zhou Hong, President of Huawei’s Institute of Strategic Research, stated that, “to make sure everyone can truly enjoy the benefits of digitalization while such technologies are making radical progress, Huawei believes it is crucial to guarantee that digital technologies are accessible to all.”

Meanwhile, Huawei also held the ICT Accelerating Education Transformation Summit. At the summit, the company awarded 24 instructors with the title ‘Huawei ICT Academy Global Most Valuable Instructor’, which is the first of its kind.

The award was to show gratitude for the important contributions these instructors have made to talent development, and mark them as role models that show how the brightest minds can develop even brighter minds. These role models will help drive sustainable development of the ICT talent ecosystem.

The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual contest held by Huawei for global university and college students. Through the competition, Huawei aims to provide students with an international platform for healthy competition and the exchange of ideas.

Since its launch in 2015, the competition has helped students enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, while also increasing their ability to innovate by using new technologies and platforms. The ultimate goal is to advance technological development and facilitate digital inclusion around the world.