Faheem Anwar Khan
ISLAMABAD: Huawei in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan held the closing ceremony of the Huawei ICT Competition 2022-23 at the Aiwan-e-Sadar, celebrating the success of the Pakistani teams that brought home accolades and prizes in the regional competitions.
The students from Pakistan had won second and third prize in the Network Track and third prize in the Innovation Track at the Huawei ICT Competition 2022-2023 Global Final concluded at Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen, China. The first to be held in person since 2019, the event’s culmination was a competition between finalists in 146 teams from 36 countries. Before the final, more than 120,000 students from more than 2000 universities in 74 countries and regions around the world took part in the ICT Competition, said a news release received here on Wednesday
The Honourable President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, graced the Ceremony as Chief Guest to celebrate the success of some of Pakistan’s brightest young minds. Students from Pakistan won the second and third prize in the Network Track and third prize in the Innovation Track at the Huawei ICT Competition 2022-2023 Global Final concluded at Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen, China,
Dr. Alvi presented the second prize certificate in the Network Track to Muhammad Faeez Ali, Asad Anwer from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro and Maryam Fareed from Lahore College for Women University.
Lauding the continuing friendship with the People’s Republic of China, the Honourable President, Dr. Alvi, said, “It gives me great pleasure to know what Huawei has been offering and specifically how well the students from Pakistan have been performing in this ICT Competition over the years. Once again these brilliant students have made the country proud. This ICT Competition Program from Huawei speaks volumes of the efforts made in the past decade and how this Industry-Academia Relationship has been thriving towards providing the solid backbone towards the ICT Industry of Pakistan.”
He added that this exemplary collaboration between Industry and Academia laid the foundations for the future i.e. Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence. “The Education Sector and its development leads to a better economy. The government must focus on the environment development to promote the development of its people and such initiatives play a much vital role towards the achievement of this goal.”
Mr. Shunli Wang, Vice President of Huawei Middle East & Central Asia, congratulated the Pakistan team that raised the Pakistan flag amongst global competition and made the country proud. He said, “The achievements Pakistan students and teachers have made , reflect on the great vision and determination of Pakistan government towards ICT talent nurturing, innovation and technology adaptation.”
Thanking the President, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and Higher Education Commission for the support and inspiration, he added, “Your presence at this event is one of the best motivational factors, not only for the students of this competition, but also for millions of Pakistan younger generations in the future and Huawei as well.”
Huawei is building a robust ICT talent ecosystem and accelerating the digitalization progress of the world by launching more Huawei ICT Academies, releasing talent white papers, and holding the Huawei ICT Competition.
Together with the Huawei ICT Academy, the Huawei Innovation Competition, Seeds for the Future program, joint university labs, and other initiatives, thousands of young people in the region benefit from an advanced skills development pipeline every year, equipping them with the necessary skills to lead digital transformation and development efforts within their countries. Huawei’s commitment to enhancing digital skills and Pakistan is evidenced in the numerous projects and initiatives underway in the country and the resounding success of Pakistani youth in the opportunities offered by Huawei.
Dr. Umar Saif, Federal Minister of IT & Telecom, said, “Time and time again Pakistan’s outstanding students have made the nation proud. Huawei’s ICT Competition tangibly shows us the struggles and hard work that laid the foundation for this thriving Industry-Academia relationship. We believe that Digital Transformation and AI are both key factors for our vision for Digital Pakistan.”
He added, “This year the two teams who came second in the Global Competition are here with us and I would like to congratulate them for their efforts and their representation of Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the few countries that has a high population of young talent waiting to be honed into future leaders of the country, which is why these students and similar programs started by Huawei are the key towards the transformation.”
Dr. Saif commended Huawei for its exemplary contributions, saying, “Huawei is one of the leading technology giants in the world and has a large footprint in Pakistan. We all agree that artificial intelligence, big data etc. is the future. With technical support from state-of-the-art companies like Huawei, we can train our youth to introduce digitization in Pakistan, this training having been a crucial step in that direction.”
Asad Anwar, a member from the winning team from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, said, “The direct linkage that Huawei provides to the academia through the Talent Ecosystem program means a lot to us students and today I am proud to be part of the legacy that has been set by my University and especially our teachers. Today, Alhamdulillah, I stand in front of you with the feeling of pride with which I have been given an opportunity to represent my beloved country on a global stage!”
