Information and communications technology (ICT) group Huawei has launched its Leadership, Employability, Advancement and Possibilities (LEAP) digital skills development programme to build the ICT skills of more than 100 000 people across sub- Saharan Africa within three years.

The programme, which aims to foster a strong digital leadership and skilled ICT workforce, build a digital talent pool and promote digital literacy among citizens, includes a wide range of activities from ICT training and certification courses to government digital capacity building and ICT skills competitions.

The LEAP programme, which will be deployed based on the company’s investment in the region, will result in more than 1 200 instructors facilitating 3 000 ICT courses.

It will also fund a number of facilities, including training centres, hardware installation bases, innovation hubs, mirror labs and ICT academies.

Huawei currently has ICT academies at more than 300 universities and colleges in the region, says Huawei Southern Africa president Leo Chen.

“Through the programme, we strive to cultivate more youth leaders in ICT, who can explore more possibilities for themselves, their families, community and ultimately their nations,” he says, stressing the importance of ICT skills transfer and talent development.

Huawei has, over the past two decades, assisted in advancing the ICT skills of more than 80 000 people across the region, increasing youth employability and bridging the gender gap in the ICT industry.

“Covid-19 took us into the digital era, but we should not need a pandemic to do this for us in the future; we need to be deliberate and intentional to leapfrog our countries,” says Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

“We need innovation, we need to support local innovators and we need to promote our own platforms throughout the continent to reach scale and develop our economies.”

The impact of the pandemic boosted digital adoption across Africa, increasing the demand for more digital skills and talent.

A World Bank study on digital skills in sub-Saharan Africa indicates that over 230-million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030, which makes programmes such as LEAP even more critical.

“ICT has given us almost equal access to knowledge,” adds Tanzania Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Permanent Secretary Professor Eliamani Sadoyeka, noting that the power of ICT should never be underestimated.

He commends Huawei for its ICT Academy which is giving young people the platform and skills in the latest technologies.

Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports State Minister for Higher Education Dr John Chrysestom Muyingo welcomes the partnership and commits to strengthening the relationship between the Ministry and Huawei.

“We partnered with Huawei on initiatives like the Seeds for the Future and the ICT competitions through the Huawei ICT Academies established in Uganda and, over the years, we have always made it a point to play an active role in the implementation of the digital upskilling initiatives in higher education institutions, including universities, across the country.”

The Huawei ICT Competition is an important component of Huawei’s talent development efforts, providing students with a network of industry trainers and instructors, as well as learning tools, while offering a global stage for students to showcase and practise their ICT knowledge and skills.

Over the past five years, 80 000 university students from Africa have registered for the competition and more than 20 teams entered the global finals.

More than 15 000 students from over 200 universities and colleges across sub-Saharan Africa participated in the 2021/22 Huawei ICT Competition.

From the 48 competing teams, Nigerian and Kenyan teams won first prize in the regional final, while teams from Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania claimed second prize.