Highlighting the commitment to contribute in the progress of Pakistan, Huawei has been successfully providing products and services in Pakistan since 1998, for the past 24 years as the ICT market leader, other than providing B2B ICT solutions and services in Pakistan, we have always been actively involved in technology transfer and local talent training in order to promote the development of the youth.
Pakistan people are the heart and soul of innovation. Pakistan now has more enterprising youth than it has ever had, and this is forecasted to continue to increase until at least 2050, the youth have the power to transform a country’s future. Huawei has always had prospective ambitions to build a healthy ICT talent ecosystem. Even through the challenges and restrictions of COVID-19, we remain committed to nurture and empower ICT young local talents.
One of Huawei’s most prestigious programs to cultivate local ICT talent and show its investment in the country’s potential that has been its ‘Seeds for the Future Program’, first launched in Pakistan in 2015. As part of the cross-cultural learning program, leading engineering students (picked by HEC with rigorous criteria) of the country come together for training sessions in Chinese culture, Strategic leadership, 5G, cloud-computing, AI, smart homes, the Internet of Things (IOT), and cybersecurity. 119 Pakistani students has participated and been awarded from the program.
The most straightforward form of support that Huawei has provided to the ICT sector comes in the form of its HEC-approved ICT academies, spread out throughout the provinces and in areas considered to be more remote and inaccessible, places that are far away from the center.
Huawei continues to invest in many talent nurturing initiatives, out of which is on our annual Huawei ICT Competition. Our objective is to transfer knowledge of Huawei latest technologies such as 5G, AI, Cloud Computing, and Data Communication to the young talent, promotes innovation and creativity and increase national ICT competitiveness. We aim to equip Pakistan to pursue their national agendas for digital transformation and prepare the next generation of leaders for an advanced world.
Huawei incentivizes students from all around Pakistan with its ICT Competition, an international competition that allows the winners of the domestic chapter of the competition to travel to China to compete in the final for a grand prize of US $ 20,000. It provides them an unforgettable experience with exposure to other motivated, innovative, youthful individuals from all over the world to create an environment of progress and mutual learning.
In 2021, more than 15,000 students and 450 universities across Middle East countries have enrolled in the Huawei ICT Competition program, of which 1000 students got the Huawei certification. Being an international competition, it is one of the most influential events in its field. Pakistani teams were shining stars at the final competition stage in Riyadh. After going through a rigorous test, they proved their own capability, securing the first and second positions. It is a significant milestone that marks the start of a new chapter in the life of these students, their future career development and preparedness to be an active future contributor to Pakistan. Star pupil of team one, Bhagchand Meghwar won despite coming from a village where he did not have a lot of resources on hand, showing the strength of Pakistani talent, even when opportunities are scarce, these hidden gems still shine bright. The achievements Pakistan students and teachers have made reflects on the great vision and determination of Pakistan government towards ICT talent nurturing, innovation and technology adaptation.
At Huawei, we believe in creating value for our partners and customers at our best. All these programs show Huawei’s commitment to offering knowledge and promoting the development of talent for the future. We believe that open collaboration is the only way forward. This is especially true in the ICT industry, where open collaboration and innovation across the entire global value chain are crucial to building greater resilience and promoting sustainable development for both businesses and society as a whole. For that mission, we hope to be able to count on the partnership of all of you so that together we can drive the digital transformation of Pakistan and help to develop the next generation of local ICT talent to boost Pakistan digital economy. We believe in building a fully connected intelligent Pakistan.
The writer is CEO of Huawei, Pakistan