Representatives from three Nigerian universities have clinched two grand prizes and won the first prize category in the 2025 Huawei Global ICT Competition. Alongside other teams, two Nigerian teams from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, won two grand prizes in the competition.
The teams clinched the grand prize in the final contest of the Computing and Network Technology tracks category, as well as the overall grand prize. Aside from winning the grand prize, other Nigerian teams also won first prize in the global competition. The team from the University of Ibadan won first prize in the Cloud technology contest, while that of Ahmadu Bello University won in the AI Innovation contest.
“2 of the 4 teams that won the Grand Prize were from Nigeria -the Nigeria Cloud Team 2, and Nigeria Computing Team. Also, three teams from Nigeria were part of the six teams that won First Prize: Kenya Network Team 1, Kenya Network Team 2, Nigeria Network Team 1, Nigeria Network Team 2, Uganda Network Team 2, and Nigeria Cloud Team 1,” a statement from the organisers reads.
Following national and regional rounds, 179 teams from 48 countries and regions advanced to the global final, which took place from Tuesday, May 20, to Friday, May 23, with the awards ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Shenzhen, China.
Also Read: Huawei launches its first non-Windows laptop powered by HarmonyOS.
Other teams from Africa that participated in the competition also won major awards.
In the Practice, Innovation, and Programming category, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, and Tanzania teams were among 18 outstanding teams from nine countries, while the team from the Faculty of Sciences and Technics of Errachidia – Moulay Ismail University (Morocco) was among the Grand winners.
In the Practice Competition (Network Track), teams from the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria, and a joint team from Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, and University of Dodoma (Tanzania) were Grand Prize winners. Also in the Practice Competition (Cloud Track), Grand Prize winners included teams from the Higher National School of Computer Science Algiers (Algeria). Teams from the Federal University of Technology, Minna (Nigeria), and the University of Bejaia and Higher National School of Computer Science SBA (Algeria) won Grand Prizes in the Practice Competition – Computing Track category.
“The Madagascar Network Team, Kenya Computing Team 1, and Uganda Computing Team won second prize. 5 teams won third prize: Kenya Cloud Team 1, Kenya Cloud Team 2, Kenya Computing Team 2, Ghana – Farm Choice (Innovation Track), South Africa – ATS (Innovation Track), and the Women in Tech Award was won by 2 teams: Uganda Network Team 2, Kenya Cloud Team 2,” the statement by Huawei said.
Teams from Ghana and Kenya also featured in the special recognition category that recognises outstanding contributions beyond technical excellence. The all-female team from Kenya won the special award of Women in Tech Award, while the Green Development Award went to a team from the University of Ghana. Instructors from Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt won the Most Valuable Instructor Award for their contributions to ICT education.
About the Huawei Global ICT competition
The Huawei Global ICT competition, which is in its 9th edition, is an annual contest held by Huawei for global university and college students. The event reached a record-breaking scale this year, attracting over 210,000 students and instructors from more than 2,000 colleges and universities in over 100 countries.
Huawei launched the ICT Academy in the Sub-Saharan African region in 2016. As of now, there are 478 participating academies in the region, the most for any region outside of China. To date, over 24,000 students from over 5,000 universities and colleges have participated in the ICT competition. Huawei has involved over 100,000 students and over 1,500 teachers in the ICT Academy in the region.
At this year’s competition, Huawei hosted the AI Accelerating Education Transformation Summit, where experts explored the pivotal role of AI in digital education. In another step towards advancing educational digitisation, Huawei officially announced the AI Capability of its ICT Academy Intelligent Platform, making it easier and more efficient for educators and students to use.
The Director, ICT Strategy and Business Development Department at Huawei, Ritchie Peng, during his opening speech, at the ICT Competition Final Closing and Awards Ceremony, noted that the event aligns with its vision for an Intelligent World 2030 that encourages students to master cloud computing, big data, and Artificial Intelligence to drive social progress.
“To achieve the goal of learning through competition and inspiring innovation through competition, we have continuously evolved the design of competition topics. The Innovation Competition focuses on green development and digital inclusion, motivating participants to solve real-world challenges in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and education through ICT,” he added.
While the ICT Competition is designed for students and teachers from colleges and universities, it offers an international platform for competition and exchange, enabling participants to strengthen their ICT knowledge, improve practical and innovative skills using the latest technologies and platforms. Since its launch in 2015, the competition has been gaining significant momentum, with more countries and students joining each year. In China, it has been listed as a national competition for university students, while globally, it has been recognised as a key partner flagship programme by UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy.
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