The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni has commended Huawei Technologies Uganda for its remarkable contribution to advancing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the country’s educational institutions.
Expressing her gratitude, the First Lady acknowledged Huawei’s commitment to digitalizing the education system, stating, “I must thank you yet again for what you have done so far and for really trying to work out a way that we can collaborate in the digitalization of our education system. This is good; it shows that everything we requested of you, you took seriously, and we can count on you to be good partners.”
The First Lady was, on Thursday 14/12/2023, meeting the senior management team from Huawei Technologies Uganda who came to State House Nakasero to update her on the progress of implementing digital education initiatives.
Mrs. Janet Museveni expressed optimism for a continued partnership in 2024, saying, “Our prayer is that, God willing, we can work with Huawei in 2024 and take us to a place of new beginnings. Thank you so much, and God bless you.”
Huawei’s Managing Director in Uganda, Mr. Xie Qiuxiang, pledged continued cooperation with the relevant ministries including Education and Sports, Information Communication Technology and National Guidance and others and also supported the Annual National ICT Job Fair 2024.
He highlighted Huawei’s commitment to opening doors to employment opportunities, including the employment of 15 Ugandan interns and providing more free training on emerging technologies in 2024.
In addition, Huawei’s Public Relations Manager, Ms Sooma Mukyala Fouziya, shared that over 6,000 students from 15 universities received training in computing, security, datacom, and artificial intelligence under the Huawei ICT Talent Development program.
Notably, she said that Ugandan teams achieved significant success, winning prizes at both regional and global levels in the Huawei ICT competition. “Maama, the Ugandan team did not stop there, it also won the second prize at the global level in China, which was a commendable achievement for the country this year,” she said.
Gerald Oola, the Network Industrial Solutions Manager, emphasized Huawei’s belief that every child can achieve anything.
Presenting the Digital Uganda Education project as a significant step towards increasing ICT infrastructure and connectivity in education, Oola urged the Education Ministry to cooperate with Huawei to maximize their capacity in transforming the education sector,
“The genesis of the Digital Uganda Education project started in 2021, and through smart education demonstrations in higher institutions, we believe that, with strengthened cooperation, things will get better”, Mr Oola said.
He further noted that this collaborative effort between Huawei and the Ugandan government aims to usher in a digital revolution, providing greater access and opportunities for students across the nation. He reported that students at Kyambogo University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Soroti University were able to experience hybrid learning through the pilot smart education site demonstrations in these institutions.
Maama Janet Museveni handed over an appreciation token to the delegation of Huawei Uganda for its invaluable contribution to the use of ICTs in Uganda.