Two teams from the Middle East are among the ten finalists in Huawei‘s inaugural Tech4Good Global competition 2022. Tech4Good is a part of Huawei’s CSR program, Seeds for the Future 2021, an initiative that aims to help foster young talent, equipping them with the skills and mindsets needed to be competitive in the workplaces of the future.
Teams from Lebanon and Iraq
The two groups, “Spirit and Opportunity” from Iraq and “Intelligent Firefighting System” from Lebanon, were selected from 79 submissions from around the world through a competitive online voting process. The Iraqi team demonstrated an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based air pollution monitoring and tracking system that can replace costly and inadequate fixed stations monitoring stations. The Lebanese team proposed a firefighting solution that combines existing technologies with drones, using 5G, IoT and AI to react automatically to wildfires before they spread.
Expanded programs
Huawei Board member and President of Public Affairs and Communications Catherine Chen explained how the 2022 program was a particular success, “In addition to our existing virtual classes and expert exchanges, we also added a new section to the program – the Tech4Good Global Competition. In this competition, participants are encouraged to team up and find an ICT solution for a social issue of their choice,” she said.
Chen also noted that over half of the participants from more than 20 countries in last year’s Seeds for the Future program were women. “Tech has no gender. A diverse, inclusive, and innovative world needs the perspectives and strength of women. We look forward to seeing more women participate in science and technology in the coming years,” she said.
Further CSR initiatives
This announcement follows Huawei’s new Women in Tech initiative, which encourages more women to join the technology industry and take on more leadership roles.
Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program was launched in 2008 to develop skilled, local ICT talent and bridge communication gaps between countries and cultures. In it, young people worldwide study advanced ICT technologies and compete to build real-world expertise and skills. The 2021 program featured a record-breaking 3,500 participants from 117 countries, bringing the total number of participants in the past 13 years to over 12,000 students from 139 countries.
Seeds for the Future is one of several CSR initiatives undertaken by Huawei to nurture talent among Middle Eastern youth. Together with the ICT Competition, Huawei ICT Academy, the Huawei Innovation Competition, joint university labs, and other initiatives, thousands of young people in the region benefit from an advanced skills development pipeline every year, equipping them with the necessary skills to lead digital transformation and development efforts within their country.
Huawei recently announced the winners of a regional ICT competition, with teams from Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq winning.
