Saudi Cultural Counsellor in China takes part in Huawei’s ICT Competition Final Talent Cultivation Summit

A group of Middle East VIPs and Ambassadors,along with other Middle Eastern government representatives in China, traveled to Huawei’s ICT Talent Cultivation Summit this week in Shenzhen, held on the sidelines of the final of Huawei’s ICT Competition. The congregation addressed the need for collaboration in creating a talent ecosystem, and how to align ICT talent development to drive digital transformation, socioeconomic development and achieve national plans and visions targets across the region. At the event, Dr. Fahad Majed F. AlShareef, Saudi Cultural Counsellor in China, was a key participant in the panel discussion alongside other Middle East leaders.

The Summit was additionally attended by H.E. Abdullah Al Saadi, Omani Ambassador in China, Head of the Delegation of the Envoys of Arab Countries in China, H.E. Ali Aldhaheri, UAE Ambassador in China, H.E. Millia Jabbour Lebanese Ambassador in China, H.E. Anwar Al Abdallah, Bahrain Ambassador in China, and Mr. Diyar Khan, Pakistani Consul General in Guangzhou. Each representative took part in the panel discussion, which ran simultaneously to the Huawei ICT Competition Award Ceremony. 

Every country that participated in the competition was represented, and the winner of the Competition itself was announced during the Summit. Each country’s unique challenges and opportunities were raised during the following panel titled “ICT Talent Ecosystem, a key driver of digitalization, socioeconomic development and achieving national plans and visions” where participants were given the opportunity to discuss how digital transformation will enable Middle East leaders to achieve the targets outlined in their national plans and visions, and the importance of nurturing local talent to achieving digitalization. The key theme that shone through was the need to support programs such as the ICT Competition in order to monitor, understand, and improve talent development initiatives in key markets. 

Steven Yi, Member of the Supervisory Board, Huawei Middle East and Africa Area President, commented: “The ICT Competition is a vitally important global initiative for Huawei, and it has been an honor hosting the Ambassadors from the Middle East at this event. We are honored to be the trusted partners of many governmental entities, which trust us to help them in shaping their youth. This will help us and the rising talent to build the region’s future of ICT.”

The summit was attended by participating representatives, universities, students, mentors and other professors. A Q&A session was held at the end of the panel discussion, where students and academics interacted with their ambassadors and discussed the talent ecosystem requirements in their countries, along with the challenges and opportunities related to digitalization and the generations role in developing a whole developed ICT system that can help in leading the future of their countries and achieve their countries’ visions.

This year’s competition saw in total the participation of 14,748 students from across the Middle East, from which 4,915 were selected to take part in the preliminary rounds. 214 students passed on to the final round, and 39 in total from 13 teams will be traveling to China to compete internationally. The ICT Competition was made possible through the cooperation of 17 ministries across 10 countries. 226 colleges and universities took part in total, and 65 participated in Huawei’s roadshow. 950 students additionally passed the Huawei HCNA certification exam. 

The competition is part of Huawei’s longstanding effort to have a positive impact on the Middle East community. Building upon the success of the first ICT Competition, the second round was designed to further address the needs of students to meet enterprises’ talent requirements and optimize development modes accordingly. Contestants are measured on their knowledge of cloud computing, switching, routing, and network security. It is a unique opportunity for young people to test their abilities in ICT’s most cutting-edge fields. To prepare for the challenge, Huawei offers students access to online training and tests and educational workshops ahead of the competition, as well as tailored tutoring led by university professors and Huawei experts.