Manama : Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, the 7th edition of Huawei ICT Competition 2023-24 Middle East and Central Asia concluded today.
The competition organised by Huawei, in collaboration with the University of Bahrain (UoB) and Bahrain Polytechnic, was held from December 19-21.
The competition has been leading in the development of talents in the information and communications technology sectors for many years.
Teams from 11 Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries participated in the competition; including Bahrain, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
This initiative is regarded as the largest and most influential, as it is a precedent in the field of developing ICT talents and promoting the development of national competitive capabilities through the preparation of skilled human resources and technical leaders of the future.
The competition was supported and endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as more than 20 ministries, operators, and partners.
His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa affirmed during his speech at the closing ceremony the importance of education and training, which is a nonstop journey of self-development.
“We commissioned the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Education three years ago to examine ways to reskill our youth, and we made it clear to our ministers that we in the military place great emphasis on lifelong training and education,” HH Shaikh Nasser said.
“Three years ago, I wanted to promote participants and improve skills. I wanted high-intensity, high-impact, competitive training camps to help gain new skills, assess abilities objectively, and be ready to tackle new challenges and opportunities.”
He expressed his pleasure that Huawei was one of the first companies to acknowledge this goal and presented Bahrain with the Middle East and Central Asia competition.
HH affirmed that this competition, which attracted more than 27,500 participants from 600 universities across the region, was a good start to a long-term public-private partnership.
HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad emphasised that preparing for a competition is more important than the actual win and that knowledge, experience, and friendship are the true gains.
“We are in an era of coming opportunities, and I hope competitors will see the endless possibilities coming their way,” HH added.
“During the past few months, machine learning has become increasingly available to the general public and its tools have been made available to the mass market, given the skills you have developed and the skills you are working on, you should always keep an eye out for what you can accomplish in the future.”
Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of UoB’s Board of Trustees, commended HH Shaikh Nasser’s continued support for youth and his national role in encouraging them to continue seeking knowledge, creativity, and innovation while supporting Bahrain’s comprehensive development process, led by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He highlighted the importance of the partnership between UoB and Huawei, and its constructive role in training Bahraini youth and refining their skills, as well as its contribution to the opening of a specialised laboratory and an advanced digital library at the university, and its desire to strengthen the digital ecosystem in the Kingdom.
Osama Al Sayed, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Corporate Affairs at Bahrain Polytechnic, said that Bahrain Polytechnic has seized the opportunity to be an academic partner for this competition, which highlights Huawei and Bahrain Polytechnic’s shared commitment to talent development, innovation, and IT development.
Ni Ruchi, Ambassador of China to Bahrain, said that the competition was an excellent initiative, as it focuses on future development and supporting individuals all over the world through its contributions to creating opportunities for young people to learn advanced technologies and gain valuable experiences, as well as providing them with a deeper understanding of Huawei and the Chinese market.
Shunli Wang, President of Public Affairs & Corporate Communications of Huawei ME affirmed that ICT talents are key to the growth of the digital economy, and Huawei is committed to providing students with a platform for knowledge exchange, competitive health, and innovation exchange.
“We are committed to nurturing young minds across the region through the Huawei ICT Competition, a platform that brings together visionary government officials, forward-looking academics, and enthusiastic students.”
The competition was launched last August and included 21 countries in the region, and with the support of UNESCO. It also included more than 20 ministries, operators, and industry partners. It attracted more than 27,500 students from more than 600 universities across the region.
This year’s edition achieved the highest level of participation ever in the history of the competition.
The regional edition for 2022-2023 includes 15 teams selected from a list of 19,300 participants representing 472 universities in 11 countries.
Huawei ICT Competition regional finals capped four months of intense competitions at the national level in 11 markets, where 66 students and 20 teachers were divided into 22 teams and made the finals.
Teams will compete in Bahrain leading to the selection of the winners in the Middle East and California and move on to the global finals in May 2024 in China.
Teams will consist of three students and one teacher, and the upcoming competitions will include Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, while Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Bahrain will each have two teams. The tournament will feature a team from the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.
Students had the opportunity to demonstrate professional skills on two new cloud and computing tracks in the seventh edition.
Students will compete in an internship competition that includes tracks on networking, cloud computing, and cloud computing.
Competitors were tested on their theoretical knowledge and practical ICT skills, as well as their ability to work together as a team, in addition, participants will be classified based on their performance in practical tests.
Bahrain hosted the competitions on December 19 at Bahrain Polytechnic, where students participated in a theoretical and practical test on campus, while professors from universities across the region joined the Coach Summit.
The Huawei ICT Competition, in collaboration with government authorities, colleges, and universities in the Middle East and Central Asia, aimed to identify, support, and develop future leaders in the field of ICT.
The competition worked on bridging the gap between educational programmes and the labour market to boost the career opportunities of students in the future in the ICT sector by exchanging expertise on the latest ICT developments, international trends, and hands-on skills development training in the latest Huawei technologies
Huawei aims to promote innovation and creativity among ICT students in the Middle East and Central Asia by competing to win the national finals and then the international finals.
