RIYADH — With digital technologies becoming the building blocks of Saudi Arabia’s intelligent society — and increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery — Huawei is once again touching on an important driver of the digital transformation journey; nurturing ICT talent. The company is now running the 4th edition of its flagship annual ICT Competition in Saudi Arabia to support the next generation of leaders for an intelligent world, in line with government national plans and strategies. The initiative underpins technology utilization and aims to support socio-economic development by bolstering the overall ICT ecosystem through local talent. Such individuals can in turn help the Kingdom achieve its national development plans and ambitious visions for more sustainable knowledge-based economies. This year’s competition is being held in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). From October to December, thousands of undergraduate students are expected to participate in the competition, which is being held virtually for the first time due to physical distancing measures. All universities students in the Kingdom are welcomed to participate in this competition. Ibrahim Bin Nasser Al-Nasser, general director of the Digital Innovation Center MCIT, noted: “The ICT sector is a significant national industry promoting Saudi Arabia’s global competitiveness and economic strength. Private sector programs like the Huawei ICT Competition are highly valued in supporting these ambitions, developing indigenous innovation overall while nurturing a supportive environment for the ICT sector in particular. We are very proud to have partnered with Huawei for three years in this competition” Faisal Bin Ayyad Al-Otaibi, director general of HR of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, said: “Empowering the Kingdom’s youth with global knowledge and new skills plays a key role in the future of socio-economic growth. Huawei is committed to expanding the ICT value chain in Saudi Arabia through local talent and building open ecosystems. “We believe in openness, collaboration and shared success and put forward our best efforts to support the sustainable development of ambitious countries like The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are dedicated to fostering innovative interdisciplinary talent through knowledge and experience sharing. Moreover, by offering participants access to online exchanges and learning, we can create more equal opportunities for quality education, enabling more people to benefit from the digital economy.” Zhao Liuqing minister counselor for economic and commercial affairs Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia added: “Saudi Arabia has long been our partner in many endeavors, and we value this relationship immensely. By working together on initiatives such as talent development and the evolution of the ICT sector, we can create new value for both of our societies.” The competition promotes creativity amongst students by acting as a bridge between the classroom and the workforce, enhancing students’ future employment opportunities. The training and competition tracks for this year — held under the theme “Connection, Glory, Future”— focus on advanced technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud computing, and data storage, facilitating connections between international talent. In addition to sharpening student’s own knowledge of these domains, the competition assists government authorities, colleges, and universities to identify and support the future leaders of ICT. This year will also see the introduction of the Huawei Innovation Competition, held in parallel to the ICT Competition. It focuses on supporting undergraduate students and teachers in using innovative technologies such as AI, cloud computing, and big data to create valuable and meaningful applications for society. Huawei has invited universities and colleges across the Middle East to participate in the new Innovation Competition, with a total of ten teams to be selected for the regional final this year. Winners of the regional competitions will receive a certification, future learning opportunities, a $20,000 cash prize, and more. In the past years, over 7,100 students from across the Kingdom applied for the Middle East ICT Competition from leading colleges and universities. The competition was supported by ministries, various ambassadors, and academic chancellors from some of Saudi Arabia’s top-ranking universities. Three teams participated in the ICT Competition, and traveled to China to compete at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, where they came in Third place in the competition. — SG