Kenya’s growing reputation as a digital powerhouse was once again affirmed as student teams from Kenyan universities posted impressive results at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals held in Shenzhen, China.
A combined team of ICT students from Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Machakos University secured First Prize in the Computing track at the Global Final.
In the Network track, a joint team from Machakos University, JKUAT, and the University of Nairobi secured Second Prize, while another Kenyan team comprising students from JKUAT and Moi University—earned Second Prize in the Cloud track.
Meanwhile, the Egerton University team, dubbed “Silicon Savannah,” claimed Third Prize in the Innovation track for their Smart Air Quality Monitoring System, highlighting Kenya’s growing strength in applying ICT to solve real-world challenges.
Speaking during the award ceremony held on Saturday, 24th May 2025 in Shenzhen, China, Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Principal Secretary Fikirini Jackobs expressed gratitude to Huawei for granting the students the opportunity to participate in the competition.
“Thank you Huawei for the opportunity and Congratulations TEAM Kenya (Lecturers and students) for the resounding victory and more grace as we explore and nurture the expertise for the betterment of our beloved country. More grace to you, Comrades and friends,” remarked PS Fikirini.
Kenyan Ambassador to China Willy Bett, Khadija Mohammed, Lutta Yeng from HUAWEI Kenya, Albert Ombiro Kenyan Education Attachè to China, Philip Oyier and Miss Wairimu Gichaiya (JKUAT), Miss Patricia Gitonga (UoN) and Franklin Mutisya (Machakos University) were part of the Kenyan delegation behind the 12-member Kenyan team that participated in the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals that began on Tuesday, 20th May.
Universities and students from across the Southern Africa region showcased the 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.
In his opening address during the finals, Ritchie Peng, Director of the ICT Strategy & Business Development Dept at Huawei, said, “To achieve the goal of learning through competition and inspiring innovation through competition, we have continuously evolved the design of competition topics. The Practice 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. The Innovation Competition focuses on green development and digital inclusion, motivating participants to solve real-world challenges in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and education through ICT.”
The 2024–2025 edition marks the 10th anniversary of the Huawei ICT Competition. Since 2015, the contest has provided a global platform for over 960,000 students from 2,000 institutions in more than 100 countries.
The latest edition saw 210,000 participants from over 80 countries, with 179 elite teams making it to the Global Final.
The 2024-2025 competition is the biggest so far, attracting more than 210,000 students from colleges and universities across more than 80 countries and regions. Following national and regional competitions, 179 teams from 48 countries and regions made it to the Global Final.
The competition is recognised as a key partner flagship program by UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy.
Also read https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenyan-students-in-china-for-global-finals-of-huawei-ict-competition/
