Nkandu Luo, Zambia's Minister of Higher Education, delivers a speech during the Huawei ICT competition awarding ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, March 5, 2019. A senior Zambia government official on Tuesday awarded certificates to three university students and one instructor as winners of the 2018/2019 Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competition. The competition, which was launched in September last year, attracted more than 1,000 students across Zambia who took their time to study the competition. 100 of them joined the national final examination. The theme of the competition is "Connection, Glory, Future." (Xinhua/Peng Lijun)

LUSAKA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Zambia government official on Tuesday awarded certificates to three university students and one instructor as winners of the 2018/2019 Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competition.

The three students, who emerged winners out of 11 finalists, will represent the country at the regional ICT competition in South Africa from March 8 and 9.

Nkandu Luo, Minister of Higher Education, commended the Chinese telecommunications firm for coming up with the competition which will help develop ICT technology talent in the southern African nation.

"Following the ongoing challenge facing our country in the growth of ICT, we all know that students in ICT especially in higher learning institutions need to be equipped with necessary ICT facilities to foster proper academic growth," she said during the award ceremony.

She said the launch of the competition reflected Huawei's continued commitment to Zambia and to the country's flourishing ICT industry, adding that participating in the competition would broaden students' opportunities of working in the ICT industry by expanding their knowledge.

Li Jie, Chinese ambassador to Zambia, said ICT was the foundation of national economic development, adding that the success of the competition will promote the cultivation of ICT talents in the southern African nation.

It will also support the development of the ICT industry and provide a steady source of power for the comprehensive development of the country's economy, Li said.

"It is my belief that as time goes by, with the joint efforts of the governments and enterprises of China and Zambia, Zambia will have an army of high-quality ICT talents to help the country realize its ICT vision and strategic program," he said.

According to Li, ICT was one of the key areas of economic and trade cooperation between China and Zambia.

The competition, which was launched in September last year, attracted more than 1,000 students across Zambia who took their time to study the competition. 100 of them joined the national final examination.

The theme of the competition is "Connection, Glory, Future."