The University of Ibadan contingent who participated in the 2020 edition of Huawei ICT Global Challenge has emerged as the global champions of the competition.
This was as the company, Huawei Technologies, has promised to set up a digital academy in the foremost institution of higher learning, as a further honour to the champions.
The Country Manager, Talent Ecosystem Development, Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kenneth Igwe, said this during a courtesy call on the acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, in his office.
As contained in a statement by the University’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, the Huawei Country Manager eulogised the performance of the UI representatives at competition.
He said the excellent performance of the students of the university in the competition shows that they are talented, skilled, creative, gifted, passionate and zealous for information and communication technology for sustainable development.
Mr. Igwe remarked that the Huawei ICT Global Challenge is a competitive ICT talent exchange event geared towards a healthy development of ICT ecosystem among university students globally.
“In the 2020 edition of the competition, the University of Ibadan, alongside Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Port Harcourt emerged as global champions in the National and Cloud Categories.
“The three champions from the University of Ibadan: Toheeb Adeniyi Badiru, Bolaji Olaide Abideen and Sulaiman Damilare Olubiyi, all of the Department of Electrical Electronics, Faculty of Technology, who are currently participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, displayed outstanding digital skills and values impacted in UI’s students. Hence, our request for internship, graduate training and coaching section,” Igwe said.
The Country Manager further explained that collaborating with UI on the project will involve not only Huawei, but, at least 10 other companies, adding that the project is tagged “Huawei Partners”.
According to him, the “Huawei Partners” project is to deep hands into the talent resources that are abound in UI and give the students internship, graduate training and employment opportunities.
Due to the excellent performance of UI’s students in the 2020 edition of the competition, Mr. Igwe said: “I am in UI to coach your students on the requirements for the 2021 Challenge, agree on a date to organise students’ job fair in the University community and to discuss a proposal to establish a digital academy in UI.”
Responding, the acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ekanola, indicated the readiness of the University of Ibadan to collaborate with Huawei in its “Huawei Partners” project for internship, graduate training and coaching to bolster the institution’s effort in promoting teaching, learning and research through information and communication technology (ICT).
“UI is willing to collaborate with Huawei in achieving and sustaining the goal, since IT is now a great tool for teaching, learning, research and administrative work.
The acting VC also drew the attention of the ICT expert to the efforts by the management, staff and students to strengthen the town and gown relationship that will bring about mutual benefits in the areas of internship, graduate training and coaching section for both UI and Huawei.
In line with the mutual benefits expected from the collaboration, Professor Ekanola requested Huawei to make known to the UI Management the needs and challenges facing the company so that UI can engage its research capacity to attend to these challenges.
“I specially thank Huawei for partnering with the university in the past, for taking cognizance of the excellent performance of UI’s students in the 2020 Huawei competition and for being anxious to have an enduring relationship with UI.
“Huawei’s desire to coach UI’s students and host an academy in the university is due to the impression created by the performance of UI’s students in the last competition.
“This success and other feats are achieved due to the system of our merit-driven policy of admitting students and dedicated staff, has been an added advantage,” the acting VC said.
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices. It is committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected intelligent world.
It operates in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world. Huwaei’s end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure.
