The 8th annual Huawei ICT Competition global finals concluded in Shenzhen, China, on May 26, with a remarkable showing by Nigerian students.
A total of 14 students, representing both the University of Ibadan (UI) and Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), emerged victorious sweeping the top prizes in the Practice Competition category.
This competition, established in 2015 by Huawei, provides a platform for university students worldwide to showcase their Information Communication and Technology (ICT) skills in a competitive environment, according to the Chinese technology company.
This years edition themed “Connection, Glory and Future” saw fierce competition, attracting over 170,000 participants from over 2000 universities and colleges across over 80 countries and regions. The Nigerian students made a significant mark especially in the Practice Competition section which is designed to assess student’s theoretical knowledge, practical ICT skills and teamwork, this section focuses on Networks, Cloud Computing, and Ascend AI.
Huawei ICT competition structure
The Huawei ICT Competition offers two primary sections: the Practice competition and the Innovation competition. While the Practice competition focuses on core hands-on ICT skills, the Innovation competition challenges students to propose ICT-based solutions (such as AI, IoT, big data, and cloud) to solve real-life problems aiming for social and business impact.
This year, Nigerian contestants excelled in the Practice Competition category, but did not secure any prize in the Innovation competition.
The team from the University of Ibadan consisting of Rufus Olusoji Adisa, Tolani Adekunle Adisa, Chibueze Emmanuel Ibekwe, and Lawrence Chukwuemeka secured the grand prize in the Computing Tracks category. UI further dominated by claiming another prize in the Cloud Track category with a team comprising Lukman Oyeniyi Abdulyekeen, Sodiq Babawale, and Temiloluwa Oloye.
From the Federal University of Technology, Minna two teams also won first prizes in the Networking Track category. The winning teams included Knimi Bakna Musa, Kaosar Salaudeen Ahmad, Taiye Ayantola, Oluwagbemiga Victor Ogundele, and Justus Ilegieuno, Yusuf Olanrewaju Toye, and Jamiu Damilare Dahunsi, respectively.
According to organisers, out of over 160 teams, battling through national and regional rounds, a total of 19 teams from nine countries ( Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Poland, Algeria, Türkiye, and Uganda) were pronounced winners. There was a total of 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions at the global finals.
This years achievements builds upon the success in the 2023 competition. Last year, three teams from two Nigerian universities secured the first and grand prizes across three categories. Notably, a team from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), in Zaria, Kaduna State, emerged winners of the grand prize in the innovation competition.
Additionally, the University of Port Harcourt secured first place in the Network track, while ABU repeated their success, clinching the first prize in the cloud track.
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