LALITPUR, OCTOBER 6

Huawei has launched Seeds for the Future – its global flagship CSR programme for undergraduate level students from all ICT-related disciplines in Nepal.

The initiative was started as part of its Digital Talent Development Ecosystem.

This is the first time that Huawei has introduced the programme in Nepal. It was first launched in 2008 in Thailand.

Since then, over 9,000 students from 130 countries and regions have participated in the programme.

Accordingly, 20 students from Nepal selected from a competitive application process will get to participate in the international programme this year around.

At a press meet held to launch the initiative in Lalitpur on Wednesday, Huawei introduced the selection committee for the programme that comprised Prof Dr Shashishar Ram Joshi, Prof Dr Subarna Shakya and Prof Timila Yami.

The programme will offer students an eight-day interactive online experience and first-hand insights into the ICT industry in Nepal. During the online programme, students will receive entry level and advanced courses on key technologies, including 5G, cloud computing and AI and experience China through virtual tours. They will also hear from experts who will share perspectives on a wide range of topics from cyber security to aerospace industry, immerse in an interactive and dynamic classroom that allows for cross-cultural exchanges with fellows from other countries, participate in 'Tech- 4Good' group project and get a glimpse of Huawei's history and technological developments, according to a statement released by the company here today.

The students will also get firsthand insight into the ICT industry in Nepal via a visit to Huawei Nepal office where they will get introduced to Huawei's rich experience in the ICT industry in Nepal, classes from industry experts, and an overnight trip to a Huawei-built base station at a scenic location to be held in December.

Upon completion of the programme, students will join the alumni community where exclusive webinars, round table dialogue, celebration events, among others, will be held the year round in a bid to strengthen the sense of belonging.

At the press meet, Prof Yami encouraged the Nepali media to focus on the history of Huawei's beginnings as Huawei's story was a role model story for the world.

She expressed confidence that Seeds for the Future backed by talented students would be very successful and the programme would, in turn, encourage innovation among students which will be of great value to Nepal.

CEO of Huawei Technologies Nepal Pvt Ltd., William Zhang expressed hope that students from Nepal would enthusiastically participate in the programme.

Zhang shared that the company has a goal of developing 10,000 ICT talents in the next five years in Nepal.

'Huawei hopes to help Nepal build the foundation for the Nepalese digital economy by partnering with all ICT stakeholders through broadband connectivity, data centres, cloud and computing, and other latest technologies,' Zhang said.

During its 21 years of operation in Nepal, Huawei has assisted the government, public sector private businesses and all the industry domains in their digital transformation through telecom, enterprise and public cloud service and solutions.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 7, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.