Tanzanian students shine in China at global ICT competition

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian university students and instructors have emerged as top winners in the prestigious 2024/2025 Huawei ICT Competition, outperforming more than 210,000 participants worldwide.

The global finals, held in Shenzhen, China, saw students from the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), and the University of Dodoma (UDOM) take home grand and second-place awards.

Grand prize winners included Vida Mapunda (DIT), Joseph Msuya (UDSM), and Sigfrid Michael (UDOM). In the second-place category, Paul Nkingwa, Godlove Hipolite, and Felix Kuluchumila, all from UDOM, were honored for their performance.

The competition, organized annually by Huawei Technologies, aims to equip students with hands-on skills in cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI).

 It also promotes innovative solutions to real-world challenges in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ritchie Peng, Huawei’s Director of ICT Strategy and Business Development, said the competition supports the company’s broader vision for an “Intelligent World 2030” by encouraging digital inclusion and sustainable development.

“We have continuously evolved the design of the competition to align with global innovation goals,” he noted.

Reacting to the win, student Vida Mapunda from the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology expressed pride in representing Tanzania on the global stage.

“Winning this award motivates us to keep working hard and shows that Tanzanian talent can compete internationally,” she said.

For his part, the Principal of the College of Information and Communication Technologies (CoICT) at the University of Dar es Salaam, Prof Baraka Maiseli, praised the government’s investment in ICT infrastructure.

“Our universities are now better equipped to offer practical, hands-on learning. That foundation made this success possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Principal of the College of Informatics and Virtual Education at the University of Dodoma, Dr Florence Rashidi, commended Huawei’s efforts in supporting the education sector by enabling students from various Tanzanian universities to participate in practical training and global competitions.

This is the second consecutive year that Tanzanian students have excelled in the Huawei ICT Competition. In 2023-2024, three students from the country were also recognized for their outstanding performance.

Participants in this year’s event came from over a dozen countries, including China, Brazil, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, and Serbia  with Tanzania emerging among the top winners.