Rwandans from the University of Rwanda (UR) Network team have excelled at the 2023 Huawei ICT Competition global finals held in Shenzhen, China. This is the country’s first time in the competition, defeating over 30 countries and 130 teams to scoop second place.
The three students from the University of Rwanda, Regis Minani, Magnifique Mugiraneza, and Michael Fred Mugisha, excelled among the 650 students from eight universities in Rwanda at the national finals stage and continued up to the African stage, where they came in second and qualified for global competition in China.
The universities include Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA), The Institute of Applied Sciences Ruhengeri (INES), Rwanda Polytechnic (RP), University of Rwanda (UR), University of Kigali (UOK), Kigali Independent University (ULK) among others.
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The Huawei ICT Competition is a globally developed competitive ICT talent exchange program for university, college, and TVET students. It aims to provide students with a platform to compete healthily and exchange ideas, thus enhancing their ICT knowledge and practical skills.
Initially launched in Africa six years ago, the competition has developed into the largest ICT skills competition in Africa and the world at large.
After nine months of intensive preparation, the competition was successfully held from May 23 to May 28. The event’s culmination was a competition between finalists in 146 teams from 36 countries.
Before the final, more than 120,000 students from more than 2,000 universities in 74 countries and regions around the world took part in the ICT competition.
As of the end of 2022, Huawei has collaborated with 2,200 universities to build Huawei ICT Academies, helping to train more than 200,000 students each year. Since its initial launch in 2015, more than 580,000 students from 85 countries and regions around the world have participated in the competition.
After seven years of development, the Huawei ICT Competition has become one of the biggest events of its kind in Africa. The competition covers the latest technologies such as cloud computing, AI, mobile networks, big data, that are pertinent to students’ competitiveness in the job market.
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James Kimonyo, the Rwanda Ambassador to China, graced the Huawei ICT Global Competition 2022-2023 Awards Ceremony, saying, "I commend Huawei for this noble initiative, which is meant to inspire and equip young people with the skills necessary for addressing development challenges.”
Toni Yangshengwan, Country Director of Huawei Rwanda, gave praise to students from the University of Rwanda and noted that the annual competition is a key part of the ICT Academy Campaign, which was launched in 2021 through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Huawei and UR.
Mgnifique Mugiraneza, on behalf of his colleagues, said the competition gave them a platform to highlight their technical skills and creativity in networking.
"We witnessed real-world networking tools and devices, providing us with valuable learning experiences,” he revealed.
"Despite the challenges along the way, the competition is a rewarding experience that gave us a boost to develop valuable skills essential in today’s digital world. Prizes for winners are often available, which can be in the form of devices, cash, internships, and even job opportunities,” he noted.