Muscat hosts the regional finale of Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2022

The winners of the Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2022, Huawei’s longstanding flagship competition, were announced at a ceremony that took place on December 22 in Muscat, Oman.

The competition saw 15 teams consisting of the brightest young tech talents face off to win the top prize. They were shortlisted originally from 19,300 participants representing 472 universities and 11 countries across the Middle East and Central Asia.

The Jordan Team comprising students Hamzah Al-Zubaidi and Aws Al-Rayya from Princess Sumaya University for Technology and Yazan Al Shannik from Yarmouk University won the first prize of $20,000.

The second place went to Pakistan Team 1 consisting of Muhammad Ali and Asad Anwer from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro and Eman Yaqoob from Lahore College for Women University; and Iraq Team 1 comprising Sadeem Moulood from Ninevah University, Mohammed Shakr from Salahaddin University and Mohammed Hussein from University of Anbar.

The third prize went to the UAE Team, which included Eyasu Araya and Smon Ftwi from Higher Colleges of Technology and Meriem Aoudia from University of Sharjah; the Bahrain Team featuring Dana Kamal, Husain Hasan and Joud Ebrahim from Bahrain Polytechnic; and the Kazakhstan Team, which included Nikolay Zhilaykov from Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications, Aida Begaldarova from al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Algerim Turarbekova from International Information Technology University.

The top winners will represent the Middle East and Central Asia in the global finals competition that will take place next year in Shanghai, China.

During the ceremony, which was attended by ambassadors to China from some of the participating countries, Shunli Wang, vice president of Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, delivered an opening speech followed by remarks by Dr Ali bin Amer Al Shaidani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Information Technology; Talal Said Marhoon Al Mamari, CEO of Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel); and Li Lingbing, Chinese Ambassador to Oman.

Dr Al Shaidani said: “We are thrilled to host the Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2022 in Oman this year, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Omantel, and Huawei. This comes as part of the National Digital Upskilling Initiative (Makeen) and coincides with the selection of Muscat as the Arab Digital Capital for the year 2022.With strong digital capabilities and infrastructure, Oman is a technology hub that aims to pave the way for young talents in the region. Congratulations to all participants; we look forward to witnessing their journey to transform the technology scene.”

He also announced an incentives programme for Omani students who have received the Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA) or Huawei Certified ICT Expert (HCIE) certification. Organised in collaboration with Huawei and Omantel, the programme aims to provide the students with $450,000 of financial incentives for a period of five years.

Wang said: “I would like to thank our partners at the Omani government, Ministry of Labour, and Omantel for being part of this ceremony. Huawei is committed to supporting and nurturing young ICT talent in the region. Through the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition, we aim to empower the youth to advance their ICT skills, hence contribute to the talent ecosystem, and support accelerating digital economies. On behalf of Huawei, I would like to congratulate all the winners for their compelling efforts during the 2022 edition of the competition.

He continued: “We believe in the power of open collaboration with our partners in the public and private sectors, alongside academia to nurture the skills of the young ICT talents and encourage them to participate in achieving the national plans and visions of their countries. I would like here to extend our gratitude to our partners from regional governments, organizations, and universities for their continuous support and contribution to the success of the competition since its inception.”

In addition to outstanding training opportunities from experts at Huawei, winners also received awards, including cash prizes and certificates of recognition. Huawei also celebrated all the women participating in this year’s competition through the ‘Women in Tech’ award, as well as all the tutors through the ‘Best Tutors’ award.

The remaining teams who were not among the lucky winners received the ‘Outstanding Performance’ award. In addition, a total of 45 students who participated in the Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2022 regional finals were selected for an internship programme at Huawei in their respective countries.