Uganda university students.

Ugandan university students outflanked their peers to claim top honours at the Huawei Sub Saharan Africa regional ICT competition held in Johannesburg.

Some 16 countries in the region participated in the competitions and Ugandan students from Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Gulu, Kabale, and Muni University were among the top stars.

Out of the six Ugandan teams, four qualified for the global competition with Gulu and Kabale universities who got the third prize failing to qualify for global event scheduled to take place in China in May, 2023.

The annual Huawei ICT competition targets university and college students worldwide, aiming to facilitate communication between schools, enterprises, and governments while building a robust talent ecosystem.

Through this competition, Huawei aims to challenge the students' ICT knowledge as well as the practical and application skills, and ultimately, inspire innovation with the theme of “connection, glory, future”.

After seven years of development, the Huawei ICT competition has become one of the biggest technology event of its kind in Africa.

The competition covers latest technologies such as cloud computing, AI, mobile networks, big data, that are pertinent to students’ competitiveness in the job market.

In the seven year period, the Chinese tech giant has signed cooperation agreements with over 250 universities in 14 Sub-Saharan countries on establishing Huawei ICT academies.

These alliances have enabled more than 7,000 university students to obtain Huawei ICT certification, making candidates job ready for ICT-related professions.

At the conclusion on this year’s competition, Team Uganda (Makerere University) scooped the grand prize in computing track and also managed to win the first prize in Network track.

Kyambogo University came second, while Gulu and Kabale were both ranked third. Muni University won the first prize in Cloud track out of 18 teams of threes from the 16 countries. .

Christopher Ivan Katoogo from Makerere University, comments: “After 7 months of heavy preparation, on the 22nd of February 2023, the thrilling Sub-Saharan Africa Regional ICT competition was held that provided participants with exposure to different technology fields.

“It focused on three main tracks: Network, Cloud and Computing. These are essential in world today and are critical for businesses, institutions, and individuals to stay connected and secure. The event was not only educational but also entertaining.

“Participants were able to compete in a friendly and supportive environment while showcasing their skills and gaining valuable experience. Overall, competition was an excellent opportunity for individuals to boost their confidence and gain recognition in the industry.”

Another Makerere student, Okello Stephen, a Network and Cyber security student, says: “Well about this year’s ICT competition, it was a bit challenging as compared to the previous ones because we got introduced to more advanced concepts in data, security and even in wireless technology so we had to really put in much efforts in learning and mastering them within the shortest period of time.

“Well this prepared us well in solving real life problems because you have to be a quick learner and work as a team to solve these IT Challenges so that you succeed in this ever changing global environment of technology. I really appreciate Huawei for the tremendous job as far as the ICT Competition is concerned and we hope for the best comes this year 2023.”