Kenya’s rising stars in tech made history at the Huawei ICT Competition 2024–2025 Global Final Awards Ceremony held in Shenzhen, clinching two top accolades. Team Kenya Cloud Team 1 emerged as second prize winners in the prestigious Cloud Track and were also honoured with the coveted Women in Tech Award.
The trailblazing team, consisting of Beverlyne Khayeshe Ndombi and Ifrah Hussein from Moi University, and Banzy Wamuyu from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), represented the very best of Kenya’s next generation of technology innovators. All three are fifth-year students specialising in Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering.
The trio brought their diverse technical expertise to the forefront: Beverlyne Khayeshe Ndombi led in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ifrah Hussein steered the team’s cloud strategy, and Banzy Wamuyu oversaw big data operations. Their collaborative strength and innovative thinking placed them at the forefront of a global competition that drew over 210,000 participants from more than 2,000 universities across 100+ countries.
Out of the initial pool, only 179 elite teams qualified for the Global Final. Team Kenya stood out not only for their technical excellence but also for their role in championing female participation in ICT. They were one of only four all-female teams worldwide to receive the Women in Tech Award—an honour that celebrates gender inclusion and excellence in STEM fields.
Their success has been hailed as a significant milestone for Kenya and Africa’s broader efforts to boost youth engagement and female representation in the technology sector.
Huawei’s ICT Competition is one of the largest and most influential student tech contests in the world, aimed at nurturing young ICT talent and driving innovation. The recognition of Team Kenya marks a proud moment for the country’s academic and technological community, reinforcing the global potential of African youth in the digital era.
