Huawei has announced that one team from Qatar will participate in the Huawei ICT Competition Middle East Regional Finals 2022, which kicks off Tuesday in Muscat, Oman until December 22.
According to Huawei, the participants from Qatar are national finalists Hasan Khan from Qatar University, Ahmad Hamad Albinali from Community College of Qatar, and Saad Hameed from Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
Aimed at nurturing ICT talents to contribute towards preparing the next generation of ICT leaders for the digital economy, this year’s competition will feature 15 teams representing 11 countries across the Middle East and Central Asia.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, and hosts Oman each have two teams of three students each, while Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and first-time participants Kazakhstan have one team each.
A total of 45 students will compete in the finals from an initial entry of 19,231 students from 472 universities and colleges across the region. Participants have undergone a preliminary competition and training enablement followed by a national exam held recently in Huawei's offices in each participating country.
Huawei has teamed up with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and leading tech universities, such as Qatar University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Community College of Qatar for this year’s event.
Contestants will receive world-class training from Huawei experts before proceeding to the final stage, which includes a six-hour practical exam to determine the winners. Winners in the various categories will receive awards, including cash prizes, trophies, and certificates in recognition of their accomplishments, as well as the chance to represent the region in the global finals to be held in Shanghai, China, next year.
Dr Khalid Abdulla al-Ali, Undersecretary for Higher Education at the MoEHE, said: “Similar to most countries around the world, Qatar has set ambitious digital transformation goals, therefore the demand for highly skilled tech talent is rising.
“We feel that developing local talent is best done in co-operation between the government, academia, and tech companies, and we are grateful to be collaborating with a global leading technology company, such as Huawei, and be part of their Huawei Middle East ICT Competition.”
He added: “Such innovative ICT talent cultivation initiatives not only can provide students with advanced tech skills and expose them to global standards of innovation and best practices, but also can highly contribute to advancing our future digital economy and further evolving the ICT talent ecosystem in Qatar.”
Shunli Wang, vice president of Huawei Middle East & Central Asia, said: “The continued success of this annual celebration of local youth demonstrates the remarkable ICT talent in the region, supporting the socioeconomic foundation and highlighting the region's robust digital ecosystem.
“As the leading enabler of digital transformation across the region, we are committed to supporting talent development through our various CSR initiatives. We look forward to launching various initiatives in collaboration with the public and private sectors to enable cadres and talents in the technology industry. I wish all participants the best of luck and look forward to further triumph in the Global Finals."
Launched in 2017, the Huawei ICT Competition has witnessed the participation of over 75,000 students across the Middle East and, today has become one of Huawei's most influential competitions. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, Huawei aims to provide students with a platform to compete healthily and exchange ideas, thus enhancing their ICT knowledge and practical skills and increasing their ability to innovate by using new technologies and platforms.
Last year's regional competition saw 13 teams from 10 countries and 452 local colleges and universities compete in Saudi Arabia. Regional teams performed with distinction in the global finals in Shenzhen, China, with a team from Salahaddin University in Iraq beating teams from all over the world to win the Innovation Competition Grand Prize. Teams from Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia also received accolades in the global finale of the contest.
Qatar's team competing in the Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2022 Regional Finals.
