Kenyan students were among the learners who emerged winners of the 2023-2024 Huawei ICT Competition. They pocketed top prizes at an online awards ceremony held this week.
The students who were crowned had progressed from the national level of the competition to the regional round and before finally making it to the global finals.
The first prize was awarded to Luis Kinyua from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in the Network track, Grace Wambui Mwangi from Africa Nazarene University in the Cloud track and Wendy Njeri Mumbi from JKUAT, as well, in the Computing track.
This year also saw a step up for women as their numbers in the competition grew from 13% last year to 21%
Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu, Prof. Stephen Kiama, Vice Chancellor University OF Nairobi, Huawei Kenya CEO Mr. Gavin Gao, Dr. Alexandros Makarigakis, Director Unesco EAST, and Ms. Donna Rege, Senior Manager IT Business & Governance Safaricom, were present to award the winners.
“Big big congratulations to all the brilliant students who showcased their skills and dedication in the 2023-2024 ICT Competition. Your hard work and innovation have truly shone bright, and your achievements inspire us all. Keep reaching for the stars,” said Huawei to the winners in a statement
In the Cloud track, Caroline Murimi, Karen Nasambu Juma from Moi University, and Mark Omaiko from Machakos University were winners. In the computing track, the winners were Salem Kim from Machakos University, Odhiambo Andrew from Kabianga University, and Emmanuel Kipngeno from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). They all received a cash reward of 10,000 RMB for their achievements.
The outstanding student award was given to the following students in the network track: Daniel MwithuiMutua – Machakos University, Captain Kostino from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Martin Mwiti – Machakos University, Brian Wakanene – Machakos University, Collins Mwirigi – University of Eastern Africa Baraton and Joshua Manani from the University of Nairobi.
“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Education, UNESCO East, and Safaricom for working with us to ensure the success of this ICT competition and inspire young people to connect and promote innovation on a large scale,” said Gavin Gao, the CEO of Huawei Kenya, during the award ceremony.
During the award ceremony, CS Machogu noted that the competition allowed young Kenyans to showcase their talents.
“The Ministry is fully aware of the importance of using technology in teaching and producing a workforce with high technology skills. We will work with the universities and other key industry stakeholders to ensure that our students receive proper teaching and training, enabling them to be efficient in today’s marketplace.” said the CS
Dr. Alexandros Makarigakis, Director and Representative at UNESCO East, spoke of the need for 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,” said Dr. Makarigakis
According to Ms. Donna Rege, the Senior Manager IT Business & Governance and WIT Lead at Safaricom, “Huawei and Safaricom have had many collaborations to empower students in university through self-learning, certifications, discord channels to enable their intercommunication and so much more,”
Various speakers spoke highly of Huawei’s initiatives to foster the digital skills of African youth and its ongoing efforts to leverage advanced ICT technologies to drive digital transformation around the world.
