Huawei Technologies, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, celebrated the graduation of the students participating in the 8th edition of its pioneering training program "Seeds for the Future". The training program targets students in the fields of information and communication technology, in cooperation with the success partners: the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, as part of the company's support for the digital transformation strategy and youth empowerment, aligning with Egypt's Vision 2030.
Over the course of eight consecutive days, Huawei Egypt collaborated with the government’s ICT institutions, bringing together a group of students participating in the Digital Egypt Builders Initiative (DEBI), The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), affiliated to the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), along with a group of top students from Egyptian universities participating in Huawei’s global ICT Competition.
Huawei provided the participating youth with practical training materials such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things and Cybersecurity. The program also featured leadership and self-development courses to enable students to meet challenges through promoting teamwork, knowledge exchange and cross-cultural communication, including Chinese culture and arts. These efforts endorse Huawei Egypt's strategy to empower young people by developing their skills, building their digital capabilities, qualifying them for the labor market requirements, and fostering culture innovation and future thinking in young people.
This year’s edition of the program witnessed the Tech4Good Initiative for the second year in a row. The competitive program asks students to identify a social challenge and propose a technical solution for it based on the ICT skills they learn throughout the program. This competition is also designed to cultivate leadership and team work through practice and group competition.
The winning team proposed a smart application that targets improving the quality of life for patients with Alzheimer's disease; facilitating their daily activities and ensuring their personal safety. Using latest technologies such as IoT, AI and Cloud Computing, the application sounds a clear warning to those accompanying patients in order to avoid potential disasters.
The closing ceremony of the training program witnessed prominent attendance of Dr. Amr Mahfouz, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA); Mr Zhang Chaoyang, Minister of Chinese Embassy in Egypt; Mr. Jim Liu, CEO of Huawei Egypt; Dr. Hoda Baraka, Advisor to the Minister of technology talents development, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies; Dr Hisham Farouk, Assistant Minister for digital transformation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; and Mr. MaBen, Board Member, Managing Director of Public Affairs and Communication Department at Huawei Egypt.
In his speech, Dr. Amr Mahfouz, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), congratulated the graduates and winners of the Tech4Good competition, stressing on ITIDA's keenness to invest in young talent who are Egypt's greatest asset, saying: "Huawei's capacity building ecosystem comes in line with ITIDA's endeavors to empower youth and provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to qualify them for the global ICT labor market. As Egypt features 60k graduates annually, including 60K graduates specialized in the ICT fields, our aim is to promote entrepreneurship, startup culture and boost innovation. We also look forward to continuing our cooperation with the private sector, including Huawei, to reach the largest number of young people from all over Egypt.”
Praising the Egyptian-Chinese relations and Huawei’s efforts to empower the Egyptian youth, Mr. Zhang Chaoyang, the Minister Plenipotentiary at the Chinese Embassy, said: “The 8th edition of Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program coincides with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of the Egyptian-Chinese relation. With the increase in political mutual trust between China and Egypt; the bilateral cooperation will continue to prosper in the field of cultural and human communication to move forward towards building a better society.”
“Led by Huawei, Chinese companies operating in the Egyptian market participate in the country’s sustainable development, carrying out their social responsibilities towards the Egyptian society. Huawei provides Egyptian students with valuable opportunities to learn the latest ICT technologies, as well as enriching the cultural and knowledge aspects to spark creativity and innovation. These efforts contribute to supporting Egypt’s digital vision, and enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership that links Cairo and Beijing." Chaoyang added
“Egypt's Digital transformation is a national strategy that aims to secure a brighter future. Building capacities and upskilling talent pool are essential for the development of the ICT industry and building Digital Egypt.” Dr. Hoda Baraka, Advisor to the Minister of Technology Talents Development, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies, said. “Today, we are celebrating our outstanding students who participated in Huawei’s global initiative Seeds for the Future; including 32 students from the Digital Egypt Builders Initiative. I would like to express my gratitude for Huawei’s efforts to develop Egyptian youth's digital skills; contributing to building Digital Egypt and achieving Egypt’s Vision 2030.”
On behalf of Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Hisham Farouk, Assistant Minister for digital transformation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, stressed on the ministry’s keenness to deepen the cooperation with the private sector in order to qualify Egyptian youth in competing in global markets, saying: "We have been cooperating in full with Huawei; starting with developing the universities infrastructure, providing training programs for graduates and outstanding students such as "Seeds for the Future” program. Huawei's building capacities ecosystem features all stakeholders, Government and Academic institutions, industrial partners, and beneficiaries, which ensures initiative success. We look forward to continuing our cooperation in such initiatives to qualify Egyptian youth to compete in global markets in the field of ICT."
“Seeds for the Future is one of Huawei's most prominent initiatives and investments in more than 137 countries worldwide,” Mr. Jim Liu, CEO of Huawei Egypt, said as he expressed delight for the graduation of the new class “ At Huawei, we are constantly keen on furthering the development of this pivotal program in Egypt. This is sprung from our firm commitment to nurture the young national ICT talent and develop their capabilities, in accordance with the latest trends and technologies. We firmly believe that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders, and with proper guidance, they will certainly reach greater heights of success in the field of digital economy and digitization in Egypt as a whole. Since its inception in 2015 in Egypt, the program worked on deepening government cooperation, partner relations, and institution collaborations - to bring together the largest number of youth and prepare them for the booming digital era that the government seeks to shape, in line with Egypt's 2030 Vision and the sustainable development strategy.”
Meanwhile, Mr. MaBen, Board Member, Managing Director of Public Affairs and Communication Department at Huawei Egypt, said “We pride ourselves in reinforcing the Egyptian youth’s capacities by developing our Seeds for the Future program, which is considered one of Huawei’s key pillars. Through our fruitful partnership and well-established cooperation with the Egyptian government, we aim to expand our training program and provide our graduates with job opportunities, aligning with the digital transformation and empowering youth strategy.”
Through an integrated ecosystem, Huawei Egypt promotes digital talents to transform Egypt into a regional ICT hub. The company is keen to launch a number of initiatives namely; iTB Talent Bank and Huawei Ambassadors program, in addition to being an active member of the Digital Egypt Builders (DEBI) and Digital Egypt Cubs (DECI) initiatives as part of its well-established cooperation with the Egyptian government to prepare a generation of young people capable of building digital Egypt and raising digital awareness to shape a sustainable future, in support of Egypt's Vision 2030.