The Minister of ICT and National Guidance Hon. Chris Baryomunsi today launched a Talent Cultivation MOU in partnership with Huawei Technologies to provide adequate skills, training, and certification courses such as 5G, A.I, Cloud, Security, and Data communications, among others required by employers to UICT students and ICT officers.
Baryomunsi welcomed the collaboration thanking Huawei for the program that’s geared towards skilling both students and ICT officers. “This is highly welcomed as it is geared towards skilling of both students and ICT officers with aim of equipping them with the right skills, and competencies to manage, support, and ensure that ICT delivers business value.” “I am pleased that this initiative benefits our agencies through providing talent cultivation, systematic practical training system thus making them more competitive in the jobs market and the provision of employment opportunities.”
Dr. Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry said the initiative will provide quality education and skills aligned to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa’s Agenda 2063, Uganda Vision 2040, NDP III 2020/21 – 2024/25, National ICT Policy, and achievement of NDP III Digital Transformation Programme and Development of an agile ICT-Human Resource Capital.
Zawedde further said that Huawei will provide capacity support to the department to implement the ICT talent development in terms of 5G, AI, Cyber Security, Cloud, Big Data, and other ICT technologies.
Huawei Managing Director Mr. Gaofei called for an urgent need to reform traditional teaching content and focus more on cutting-edge technologies because that’s what the industry wants.
“It’s important to note that as digitization accelerates in various industries, colleges and universities urgently need to reform traditional teaching content and focus more on cutting-edge technologies, ensure that courses keep up with the times, and guarantee that teaching materials are related to industry practices, and help students become more employable,” said Gaofei. Adding that “That’s why we are working with various universities in Uganda and are willing to work with more through the ICT Academy program.”
UCC Ag. Executive Director Eng. Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo whose mandate spans over the UICT (the direct beneficiary) was present to witness the launch. In her remarks, Ssewankambo said Huawei’s ICT Academy initiative is a fulfillment of the UCC’s vision to drive the development of a robust communication sector in Uganda.
“The Huawei ICT Academy is also a fulfillment of the commission’s vision of ‘To Drive the Development of a Robust Communications Sector in Uganda’. A robust communication sector relies heavily on the ICT talent pool. So there is a great need for a country such as Uganda to focus heavily on talent cultivation education, its practice, and capabilities so that there is a perfect balance between supply and demand.”
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During the program, Huawei Technologies will provide staff professional development, share the educational materials & resources on the latest technologies, exchange publications & other materials of common interest, and promote unified international standards that govern cybersecurity for emerging technologies.
Baryomunsi commended Airtel Uganda for its pledge to give internship opportunities to the beneficiary students of UICT. According to Airtel Uganda’s CTO Mr. Rajesh Agrawal, the telco as per its DNA always supports and promotes programs to encourage aspiring engineers.
“I am thankful to the Huawei team to make me part of this program which is focused to build a talent echo system for the ICT industry. Airtel as per its DNA always supports and promotes programs to encourage aspiring engineers to acquire required skills through various programs of on and off-class training and be ready for ICT jobs,” said Agrawal. “Huawei is a very important partner in Airtel’s journey, and at Airtel, we are a satisfied customer of Huawei’s vast range of equipment and resources.”
The launch of the initiative at UICT was also attended by Dr. Fredrick Kitoogo; UICT Principal, Hon. Joyce Sebugwawo; the State Minister for Information Technology, Hon. Kabyanga Godfrey Baluku; the State Minister for National Guidance, and Ms. Flavia Opio; the Team Lead at the National ICT Innovation Hub.
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