Huawei, a global ICT leader, recently hosted its first regional “Seeds for the Future” program in Essaouira, Morocco. The program, which provides training and development opportunities for young ICT enthusiasts, is part of Huawei’s strategy for developing talent. This initiative aimed to cultivate local expertise by bringing together over 150 promising young minds from 15 African countries gathered for a week of intensive training, blending innovation with cultural exchange
During the regional phase, a team of Egyptian students presented a dashboard that leverages satellite and meteorological data to provide farmers with actionable, data-driven insights. This solution helps Egyptian farmers optimize their irrigation and fertilizer application, manage disease risks, and improve crop yields. The fully digital platform, developed using Python, allows these farmers to access these valuable insights through a web-based dashboard.
Huawei’s Northern Africa Executive Vice President, Jeremy Lin, emphasizes the importance of investing in the youth for the continent’s future. “Investing in the youth of today and tomorrow is essential for the economic and social future of every nation,” Lin said. “By bringing together top students from across the African continent, we are placing people, dialogue, and diversity at the heart of our priorities and at the center of our technological development strategy.”
Marwan El Toukhy, a Computer Engineering student from the American University in Cairo and a member of the Egyptian team, explained: “Our project’s key advantage lies in our domain knowledge and the extensive dataset of satellite imagery we’ve obtained with ground truth data, which has given our models a significant edge over the competition. Our platform transforms this satellite imagery into actionable insights, empowering farmers to boost their yields, and by combining advanced analytics with deep agricultural expertise, we’ve created a solution that delivers a competitive edge and drives real-world impact.”
Omar El Boghdady, a Computer Science student from the University of Toronto and a member of the Egyptian team, added, “The inaugural regional edition of the Northern Africa Seeds for the Future program offered a truly unique experience; one where we had the privilege of immersing ourselves in the cultural and innovative diversity that can empower our personal and professional development. Guided by esteemed experts and mentors, we participated in extraordinary workshops exploring the realms of AI, 5G, cloud computing, and leadership, equipping us with the knowledge and perspectives to tackle Africa’s most intriguing challenges head-on.”
The Egyptian team made a strong presence at the competition, showcasing the country’s innovative spirit and potential to address local challenges through technology. While they did not claim the top prize, their presentation garnered significant attention. Ultimately, teams from Ethiopia and Morocco emerged victorious and will advance to represent Africa at the global Tech4Good finals in China next year.
It is worth mentioning that Huawei’s “Seeds for the Future” program, launched in 2008, encourages nations across the globe to participate in the development of their own digital communities. The program involves intensive training activities to introduce participants to Huawei’s latest technologies and solutions for serving vital sectors, including cloud solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Additionally, the program focuses on equipping trainees with entrepreneurship and innovation skills to qualify them for competing in the local and international labor markets.
