BEIRUT, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Huawei has launched the 4th edition of its annual Middle East ICT Competition in Lebanon to support the next generation of leaders for an intelligent world, the Chinese tech giant said in a statement on Tuesday.
From October to December, hundreds of undergraduate students from about eight leading universities in Lebanon are expected to participate in this year's competition, which is being held virtually for the first time given the physical distancing measures.
The training and competition, held under the theme "Connection, Glory, Future," focuses on advanced technologies, such as 5G, AI, cloud computing and data storage, to facilitate connections between international talents.
Feng Nan, Huawei's CEO in the Levant Region, said Huawei is committed to expanding the ICT value chain in Lebanon through cultivating local talent and building open ecosystems.
"We are dedicated to fostering innovative interdisciplinary talent through knowledge and experience sharing. Moreover, by offering participants access to online exchanges and learning, we can create more equal opportunities for quality education, enabling more people to benefit from the digital economy," he said.
Bassel Al-Ayoubi, general director of Lebanon's Ministry of Telecommunications, noted that private sector programs, such as the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition, are highly valued in developing indigenous innovation and, in particular, nurturing a supportive environment for the ICT sector.
Finalists of the national and regional competitions will receive a certificate and learning opportunities at Huawei, while the first-prize winners in the regional competition will even have the chance to win 20,000 U.S. dollars.
Last year, a team from Lebanon won the first place in the regional final held at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen, China, with the participation of 13 teams from 10 Middle East countries. Enditem