Doha, 04 Sept. 2023 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

UNDER the patronage of Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), Huawei kicked off the 2023 Seeds for the Future programme at an official opening ceremony held on Sunday at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

The event saw the coming together of 175 students from elite universities representing 15 countries of the Middle East and Central Asia in the first phase of the Seeds for the Future programme for the first time in Doha. These countries included Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Oman, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and Kyrgyzstan. They include 16 talented students from Qatar from renowned universities like Qatar University, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar Community College, and the University of Doha for Science and Technology.

The regional event being held from September 2 to 9 aims to develop local talent, share knowledge, enhance Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector awareness, and foster a digital community for young ICT talents.

High-level officials and industry leaders who delivered keynote speeches on the opening day included Karim Jjonov Rustam, deputy minister of digital technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Kamil Akatov, vice minister of science and higher education, Kazakhstan; Reem Abdulaziz Al Mugbel, Acting vice governor for planning & business development, TVTC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Omar Abdulaziz Al-Naama, assistant undersecretary for private education affairs, Qatar; Jawad Abbassi, head of GSMA, MENA; and Dr. Jassim Haji, president, International Group of Artificial Intelligence.

In his address on the occasion, Eng. Hussain Salatt, public relations and communication unit manager, CRA, said, “CRA is the patron of the program for the fourth consecutive year, as it encourages skills development and innovation to contribute to Qatar National Vision 2030 goals. One of which is to create a balance between an oil-based and a knowledge-based economy.”

In his address on the occasion, Shunli Wang, vice president, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, said: “In the digital era, skilled talent is pivotal to maintaining rapid development, seizing opportunities, and economic progress. At Huawei, we’re proud to be among the first few global tech companies to leverage its technology and expertise to help narrow the talent gap through programmes like Seeds for the Future. We’re thrilled to host the first phase of the Seeds for the Future programme in Doha and look forward to seeing some of the best regional ICT talents in action.”

Omar Abdulaziz AlNaama, Assistant Undersecretary for private education affairs, Qatar, said, “Skilled talent is crucial to our prosperous digital economy and
through our partnership with global industry leaders like Huawei on programmes like Seeds for the Future, we are training and equipping our talented youth with the necessary skills to support Qatar’s ambitious Vision2030 and ICT strategy, he added.

Huawei’s Seeds for the Future programme is the company’s flagship CSR programme that aims to develop ICT talents globally. With an ever-increasing emphasis on innovation and technological advancements, this competition offers a unique platform where these young minds can exchange ideas, network with international peers, and gain valuable insights into the ICT sector that will shape their future and promote their participation in the digital community.

Participating students will present their Tech4Good projects to the judges, and eight outstanding teams of 40 students will be selected to move on to the second phase of the Tech4Good programme, which will be held in Dubai from September 10 to 16, 2023.

Winners from the Tech4Good Global Competition will be invited to the Tech4Good Startup Sprint in China, where they will visit Shenzhen, Beijing, and other cities to experience real-world entrepreneurial environments and compete for a startup support fund of US $100,000.

Talking to www.asiantelegraphqatar.com, students of Pakistan, Iraq and Kazakhstan paid their thanks to the organizers for the care and wonderful facilities being extended to them during their stay.

They paid their gratitude to HUAWEI leadership for providing them and others selected from around the globe a lifetime opportunity for their personal development and growth. They assured that they will take full advantage of the opportunity given to them and will work hard to gain valuable insights into ICT sector to contribute towards the further development of digital community.