NAIROBI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Kenyan youth will participate in the seventh edition of Huawei global ICT competition to be held in China later in the year, the Chinese telecoms firm said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Monday.
The 15 youth beat 4,500 competitors in the national final to test their digital literacy and also represented Kenya in the African contest where they emerged among the top three out of 16 countries in the continent, according to Huawei.
Since 2018, the Huawei digital skills contest has attracted 13,000 students, and this year's edition registered over 4,000 students from more than 50 university and mid-level college partners, Huawei said.
Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi lauded the 15 students for demonstrating impeccable competence in application of digital technologies, key to realization of the country's socio-economic transformation.
"Your performance in the national final of the Huawei ICT Competition and in the regional final has made our country proud, whilst also showing that our strategies and investments in education, skills and digital technologies are paying off," Mudavadi said.
He added that the government aims to develop digital skills for at least 10,000 youth annually, in line with the National Digital Masterplan, whose implementation is in top gear.
In addition, Mudavadi said, Kenya's quest to establish a robust digital superhighway is on course, and will include investment in supportive infrastructure and re-skilling of local youth.
Steven Zhang, deputy CEO for public affairs at Huawei Kenya, said the Chinese telecoms firm is committed to bridging the digital divide in the country through training and capacity development of local youth.
"Our involvement in supporting the government to expand the country's digital superhighway is born from our belief that it is important for Kenya to build world-class digital infrastructure," Zhang said.
In the future, Zhang said, Huawei intends to strengthen its partnership with government, academia, industry and civil society to create a vibrant ICT talent ecosystem, crucial to realizing Kenya's envisaged fourth industrial revolution.
So far, over 150,000 students from more than 2,000 colleges and universities in 85 countries and regions across the globe have participated in the Huawei ICT competition, according to the telecoms firm. ■
