The 2021 Virtual Seeds for the Future Program was completed by sixty university students from across the country.
Among them, SignIT, a group of ten students, won the Tech4Good project, which was chosen by a panel of judges. The group has been selected to compete in the global final at the end of the year with other teams from around the world.
The SignIT Recognition Tool, a student project, aims to bridge the communication gap between signers and non-signers, particularly during online meetings.
Machine Learning is being used in this project to create a tool that recognizes sign language and converts it to text and vice versa.
Although still in its early stages of development, this tool will be integrated into online meeting platforms, allowing people who use sign language to participate in online meetings.
The Tech4Good project was introduced alongside the one-week training program to challenge participants to consider how technology can be used to address the country’s most pressing social and environmental issues, while also encouraging students to improve their social entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and leadership skills by working in teams with students from various countries.
The eight-day program included live-streamed sessions as well as pre-recorded courses that could be accessed through Huawei’s online platform.
In addition to the sessions, the students were given access to presentations by Kenyan industry experts on tech trends in key industries, entrepreneurship classes, and the Tech4Good group project.
The class of 2021 has also completed training in cutting-edge technology such as 5G, cloud computing, AI, and IoT, as well as virtual tours of Huawei’s exhibition halls.
Additionally, through virtual lectures designed to supplement their current knowledge and learn more about Chinese culture and Chinese historical sites, the students have had the opportunity to collaborate virtually with their Qatari counterparts and interact with experts from various industries.
The Huawei Seeds for the Future program recognizes the global skill gap that exists in the technology sector today and aims to close it through training.
The program’s success is due in part to close collaboration with students, academia, the Ministry of ICT’s ICT Authority, and other stakeholders, and it contributes to the development of a stronger and more sustainable ICT and talent ecosystem.
Kenyan Ambassador to China, Amb. Sarah Serem praised Huawei as one of the institutions that have made significant contributions to the development of Kenya’s telecoms industry while also focusing on youth development during her keynote address.
“Huawei contributes to technology programs in which youth gain ICT knowledge and expertise that aligns with the government’s goals, thereby developing the government’s human resource,” she said.
“I was able to understand how 5G, Cloud computing, blockchain, AI, and IoT are revolutionizing the world,” said Judy Achieng’, a Bsc. Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering student at Multi Media University this year.
Huawei has made a significant contribution to the country’s ICT talent pipeline over the years. With the advancement of technology, ready and available talent is required to operate and maintain the existing ICT infrastructure.
In addition to the Seeds for the Future Program, Huawei has formed partnerships with over 51 institutions of higher learning to establish Huawei ICT Academies, allowing their lecturers to teach courses on a variety of emerging technologies such as Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
In her speech, Huawei Deputy CEO Fiona Pan stated that ICT is a critical growth engine for various industries, adding, “As an industry leader, we are committed to promoting the development of ICT in the countries we operate in.” We are constantly working to bridge the gap between what students learn in school and what they need in the workplace, thereby improving knowledge transfer and building ICT capacity.”
