News: Huawei To Train 10, 000 Africans - WEF

WEF - Global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, Huawei, has unveiled a capacity building initiative that will see it providing training to 10,000 people across the African continent over the next five years.

Senior Huawei Executives Mr. Charles Ding disclosed this at the just concluded World Economic Forum on Africa held in Abuja.
Mr. Charles Ding, who is the Global Vice President of Huawei, said at the forum that Huawei is committed to developing its business in Africa where its commitment will create mutually beneficial opportunities and win-win outcomes.

It could be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Technology in partnership with Huawei Technologies, last year commenced a training programme on basic ICT knowledge for 1000 Nigerian girls as part of its commitment of localization, technology transferring to Nigeria and employment promotion.

Mr Ding said Africa and China have enjoyed a strong relationship that has seen extensive cooperation in political, economic, and cultural areas due to the continent's open and inclusive approach to international trade relations, and has thus created a sound business environment for Huawei's development in the region.

According to him, "Huawei considers Africa to be one of our most important strategic growth markets, by localizing our operations, we can better understand the needs of the market, and improve our overall capabilities. We're proud to have an opportunity to play an important role in Africa's modernization. We are also committed to creating more jobs and promoting ICT industry growth and development in the continent."

At the moment, Huawei employs a workforce of over 7,100 across Africa and has created 12,000 jobs indirectly through procurement and outsourcing services. In the last five years, Huawei's seven training centers in Africa have provided training tol5, 000 engineers, a commitment that is well aligned with the company's strategies of "transferring technologies to Africa" and "intensifying localization efforts". Under these strategies, Huawei plans to support and develop the sustainable growth of Africa&'s ICT industry by cultivating local talent.

Ding said, "Huawei will continue to enhance communications infrastructure construction and mobile broadband network deployment, to allow users to enjoy easier and more affordable network and communications services.

"In the enterprise space, Huawei will also strengthen its cooperation with local industry, to build Africa's "Smart Cities", and promote the implementation of remote e-education, mobile banking, intelligent transportation, and intelligent power projects, to accelerate the informatization of industries. In the consumer and smart device spaces, Huawei will continue to launch quality products by focusing on the consumer experience. The company will also increase investments in technology innovation, focusing on product design, processes, and quality, while improving software and the overall user experience."

When speaking of Huawei's future plans for Africa, Mr. Ding said, "The future development of the ICT industry is reliant on several factors, including, effective planning, innovative technologies, and sufficient investment. The successful implementation of these three strands will improve the competitiveness of the industry and promote the development of the digital economy. Huawei is entirely committed to our work in Africa and to our support of public and private stakeholders. We are confident that the future of the industry in Africa holds many opportunities, and we will continue to increase our investment in this region and play a more active role in reshaping society though ICT".

Through our dedication to customer-centric innovation and strong partnerships, we have established end-to-end advantages in telecom networks, devices and cloud computing. We are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers by providing competitive solutions and services. Our products and solutions have been deployed in over 140 countries, serving more than one third of the world's population.

Source: Vanguard