Kenyan youths rise to tech challenge

Chinese company AVIC International Holding Corp launched the second season of its Africa Tech Challenge in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 28.

While continuing its efforts to help build up a skilled talent pool to meet Africa's needs in the continent's industrialization process, the company has also this year included a mobile app challenge in the contest to promote Africa's development in IT.

The second season of the ATC will include two competitions: A technical challenge and a mobile app challenge. The top six teams in the technical challenge will be awarded a cash prize amounting to $10,000, while the top three individual winners of the mobile app challenge will get a total of $8,000.

According to AVIC, the objectives of the ATC are to empower young people by upgrading their technical and IT skills to help them get internships and jobs.

While trying to decrease the huge unemployment rate facing Kenyans, the ATC also aims to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship and facilitate self-employment among young people, says the company.

Before the challenges, the company will organize intense training sessions for all ATC participants, just as it did in the first season.

The mobile app challenge targets recent graduates and senior students with IT backgrounds. Fifty participants will be chosen from among those who applied via AVIC International's website, and they will compete against each other at Kenya Teachers Training College in Nairobi. The competition lasts for two weeks until Aug 8.

The company says winners of the mobile app challenge will also get a six-month incubation period with GearBox of i-Hub, which claims to be a space where people can showcase their ideas, share their skills and make use of state-of-the-art training and equipment. It also says it offers to make "rapid prototyping easily accessible".

This year's technical challenge begins with a nationwide recruitment process.

Teams from different technical training institutions and universities around Kenya will get training from Chinese technical experts on how to use raw materials and machines, a process that ends on Aug 1. After training, there will be four regional competitions between Aug 3 and Aug 7. The 12 finalists in the regional competitions will proceed to Shamberere Technical Training Institution in Kakamega for final training from Aug 10 until Aug 29. The final competition will be held at the same school at the end of the month.

The three most outstanding participants will receive scholarships to study at engineering universities in China, the company says.

In association with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kenya, the first season of the ATC in 2014 concentrated on technical challenges. The three most outstanding participants got full scholarships to study for master's degrees in the most prestigious engineering schools in China. The top three teams were also rewarded with $1,500, $1,200 and $900 for their excellent performance.

The top two teams, from Kabete Technical Training Institute and Nyeri Technical Training Institute, also signed a spare parts manufacturing contract worth $100,000.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn