Technology gives Kenyan students more options

NAIROBI－While studying at a rural high school in the western Kenyan county of Homa Bay several years ago, Terrence Omondi's resolve to plunge into technology-related fields hit a peak, thanks to nudging by tutors and family members.

The 22-year-old telecommunications and information engineering major at a public university near the capital, Nairobi, says his agility, energy and passion has placed him at a vantage position to drive his homeland's digital transformation agenda.

Having emerged as the top winner of the 2021-22 edition of Huawei's Information and Communication Technology Competition in January, Omondi says he was greatly encouraged in his quest to chase his dream.

"It feels good to have acquired high-end skills like network security, data transmission and configuration through the competition," Omondi said at a ceremony for the digital skills contest.

He was among over 3,000 young people from dozens of local public universities who participated in Huawei's annual ICT competition, which tests the ability to navigate digital space. Omondi and eight other winners demonstrated high-level proficiency in advanced ICT skills, including networking and managing systems.

The ambitious youngster learned about the contest from a friend last year and decided to give it a try, even as he grappled with a busy academic calendar.

"I had to juggle class work and rigorous study, as well as visit the labs for practical lessons, which were part of the competition," says Omondi.

Omondi says Huawei provided him with a platform to hone his ICT skills, adding that he looks forward to becoming a network engineer and working in a large telecom firm in the country.

A sizable number of female university students also participated in the competition, defying culturally sanctioned limitations to prove their mettle.

Stephanie Cherono, a 22-year-old electrical engineering major at Kenya's oldest university, the University of Nairobi, says she was elated to learn that she was among the female winners of the contest.

"Participation in the contest was in itself a giant leap of faith for my abilities to operate networking systems, transmit and store data in the cloud," says Cherono.

"I knew ICT was a male-dominated field but I am determined to prove that even women can excel in it. In the future, I intend to apply skills gained from the competition to mentor young girls."

Thousands of Kenyan students who have participated in the competition have gained invaluable skills besides positioning themselves to grab opportunities in the emerging digital economy.

Jerome Ochieng, the principal secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, says a strategic partnership with Huawei has boosted digital literacy in Kenya.

"Through our partnership with Huawei, we have been able to bridge the skills gap in the ICT sector to help promote growth of the knowledge-based economy in the country," says Ochieng.

He says the competition has also provided a platform to mentor the next generation of specialists in fields like artificial intelligence, block chain, network security and cloud computing.

Kevin Wen, the director of Enterprise Business Group at Huawei Kenya, says a partnership with Kenya's institutions of higher learning has grown stronger to produce a critical mass of skilled workforce that could power digital transformation in the country.

Xinhua