Addis Ababa University and Huawei, one of Ethiopia’s closest partners in the ICT sector, have officially launched an ICT practice centre in Addis Ababa. The center was launched on June 1st in the presence of Dr. Samuel Urkato, the Minister for Science and Higher Education, and Chen Mingliang, CEO of Huawei Technologies Ethiopia.
The centre was established with the aim of delivering hands-on, practical experience for more than 2,000 engineers, both students and professionals alike, within the next three years.
As part of the cooperation, Huawei has also installed up-to-date telecom equipment in the AAU pharmacy campus for educational purposes. After the first three years of the centre running, Addis Ababa University will gain full ownership of the ICT Practice Center, including the telecom equipment.
Established with a USD 2.1 Million investment which includes a donation scope of 1.9 Million USD worth of equipments for training and demonstration, the project is also going to have a designated program that is going to be run by Ababa Institute of Technology’s (AAiT) teaching staff.
Huawei is also setting up a USD 30,000 annual scholarship fund for 10 postgraduate students every year for the next three years (USD 90,000 and 30 postgraduate students).
Huawei is currently implementing a vast array of projects targeting thousands of students and industrial practitioners with the goal of building the country’s ICT capacity and development. These projects include the Huawei ICT Academy, Huawei ICT Competition, the Seeds for the Future exchange program, and the ICT Handshake forum – a job fair connecting employers and graduates in the sectors.
Since the first ICT academy launched in 2018, Huawei has partnered with 36 universities on educational activities. The company is also working closely with the Jobs Creation Commission in talent cultivation and hiring projects.