Pakistan tech talents to represent nation in Huawei ICT Competition regional final

Pakistan tech talents to represent nation in Huawei ICT Competition regional final

Winners will travel to China to compete against international finalists from around the Middle East region

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, has announced the winners of the Pakistan edition of the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition 2019, held recently in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission Pakistan. The longstanding competition, which falls under Huawei’s strategy to develop the global ICT talent ecosystem, aims to nurture local talent in the ICT field with a vision to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully-connected and intelligent world.

The six winners were chosen from a field of 150 finalists, who competed following the preliminary round involving more than 12,000 entries from 30 universities. Pakistan’s top ICT talents come from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology; NUST; Superior University, and Virtual University. Students will be separated into two teams of three to represent Pakistan in the finals. They have been invited by Huawei Pakistan for Enablement Training, with Huawei experts training them in the fields of IP and IT.

The competition has been well received in Pakistan as it promotes innovation and creativity while serving as a bridge between the classroom and the workplace. By nurturing university students’ talent in Pakistan, it also contributes to increasing national ICT competitiveness while supporting digital transformation efforts.

Having already received certificates and prizes as Pakistan’s national winners, the local teams have now earned a trip to China this November, where they will compete with their fellow finalists from around the Middle East region to win the ICT Competition’s grand prize – US$30,000.

Their visit will include the once-in-a-lifetime chance to work amongst some of the world’s most renowned technology pioneers in Huawei’s facilities. Participants will conduct field experiments at Huawei’s specialized labs and research centers in its headquarters in Shenzhen, helping equip students with the tools needed to tackle complex challenges in areas such as cloud computing, IoT, and network security. The technical program will be complemented by a number of cultural experiences and knowledge-exchange opportunities while in China.

In addition, students and their mentors will have the opportunity to meet their country’s ambassador to China during the Huawei-organized Ambassadors Summit Discussions event. This will provide the participants with the chance to discuss with respected leaders and cultural envoys their future ambitions and anticipations for their national ICT sector.

Congratulating the winners, Saif Chi, CEO of Huawei Pakistan, said “Huawei recognizes the importance of nurturing local talent so that they have the knowledge and expertise to lead tomorrow’s highly connected, intelligent world. By investing in future talent and building a more robust ICT talent ecosystem in Pakistan, we are investing in the future of the country. The winning teams are well deserved of the honor to represent Pakistan in the Huawei ICT Competition global final in China. I offer them my congratulations and wish them the best of luck in the competition’s final stage.”

Throughout the Huawei ICT Competition stages, contestants receive the latest updates on emerging technologies that are reshaping Pakistan’s digital economy. These include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and most importantly 5G broadband—seen as a crucial digital-service enabler. The competition is a unique opportunity for students to test their abilities in these cutting-edge fields, and helps colleges and universities to better understand the talent requirements of today’s top businesses and government leaders.

During the final, participants are equipped with an online guide and are supervised by university professors. University professors play the role of the student’s tutor, accompanying national winners to Huawei’s headquarters and discussing with Huawei the future development of the competition and Pakistan’s wider ICT talent ecosystem. 

The last edition of the Huawei ICT Competition 2018 saw 14,551 students participate from across the Middle East. From these, 4,113 students were selected to take part in the preliminary rounds. 310 students passed on to the final round and 39 traveled to China to compete internationally. A total of 17 ministries and 226 universities took part in total across the region.