Kenyan teams excel in Huawei ICT competition global finals

All girl Kenya Team wins special Women in Technology Award at the 2025 Global Huawei Global ICT competition in Shenzhen, China. [Courtesy]

Teams of ICT students from Kenya performed strongly at the finals of a global competition organised by Huawei, highlighting the rapid development of digital skills in the country.

A combined team of ICT students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Machakos University secured first prize in the Computing track at the Global Final.

Combined teams from Machakos University, JKUAT and the University of Nairobi won second prize in the Network track, while the team from JKUAT and Moi University secured second prize in the Cloud track.

The ‘Silicon Savannah’ team from Egerton University won the third prize in the Innovation track for their smart air quality monitoring system.

Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Principal Secretary Fikirini  Jackobs attended the award ceremony held on on May 24, 2025 in Shenzhen, China.   

“Thank you Huawei for the opportunity and congratulations Team Kenya, both lecturers and students, for the resounding victory and more grace as we explore and nurture the expertise for the betterment of our beloved country," the PS said.

Others in attendance were Kenyan Ambassador to China Willy Bett, Khadija Mohammed and Lutta Yeng from Huawei Kenya, and Kenyan Education Attachè to China Albert Ombiro.

Kenyan Ambassador to China, Amb Willy Bett, flanked by participants of the Huawei ICT Competition Global Final in Shenzhen, China. [Courtesy]

Philip Oyier and Miss Wairimu Gichaiya (JKUAT), Miss Patricia Gitonga (UoN) and Franklin Mutisya (Machakos University) were also part of the Kenyan delegation behind the 12-member team that participated in the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals.

Universities and students from across the Southern Africa region showcased their talents at the Global Final, underscoring the rapid development of digital skills in the Southern Africa region.

Teams from countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda demonstrated their advanced skills by winning multiple awards across competition tracks such as Network, Cloud, Computing, and Innovation.

"To achieve the goal of learning through competition and inspiring innovation through competition, we have continuously evolved the design of competition topics," said Huawei director of ICT Strategy and Business Development Ritchie Peng in his opening address during the finals.

"The competition aligns with our vision for an Intelligent World 2030 and encourages students to master cloud computing, big data, and AI to drive social progress."

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