In collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Huawei has concluded the Seeds for the Future program in Saudi Arabia. Huawei's Seeds for the Future program supports the development of digital skills in the Kingdom. The virtual closing ceremony was held in the presence of Eng. Raed Al-Fayez, Deputy Governor for IT and Emerging Technologies at CITC; Eng. Faris AlSaqabi, Assistant Deputy Minister for Future Skills and Digital Knowledge at MCIT, Mr. Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabic as well as representatives from both parties. This year's Seeds of the Future program hosted 54 Saudi students that were shortlisted from different universities across the Kingdom. The program ultimately supports the development of local ICT talent by enhancing international knowledge transfer amongst students, promoting a greater understanding of and interest in the technology field, and encouraging participation in the region's growing digital economy. Mr. Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, added: "Saudi Arabia's thriving ICT ecosystem is continuously expanding, and we need the necessary talents to support Saudi's future digital economy. Investing in local ICT talents is the key to a bright digital future, and we are honored to partner with CITC and MCIT to share our global expertise with Saudi youth and enable them to contribute to the tech-driven economy of the nation." This year the students participated in the newly launched Tech4Good project. This challenged participants to examine how to leverage technology to address the Kingdom's most pressing social and environmental issues. It also encouraged students to increase their social entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and leadership skills through teamwork with students from many different countries. Participating students had the opportunity to receive technology and cultural training, study cutting-edge technology such as 5G, cloud computing, AI, and IoT, explore Huawei's exhibition halls, campus, and stores through virtual tours, and gather real-world experience through hands-on workshops. The program included eight days of training involving live-stream sessions as well as pre-recorded courses available on Huawei's free online platform iLearningX. Initiated by Huawei in 2008, Seeds for the Future is Huawei's flagship and long-term global CSR program. As of June 2021, the program has been implemented in 131 countries and regions, reaching 9,000 students from over 500 universities, and gaining endorsement from more than 120 heads of state and high-level government officials globally. In 2020, over 3,000 students from 103 countries participated in the program. A total of 53 students from Saudi Arabia graduated in 2020.
