Chinese firm launches “Seeds for the Future” program in Botswana

The Chinese technology company Huawei launched the “Seeds for the Future” program on Tuesday in Botswana, aiming to cultivate local information and communications technology (ICT) talent and young leaders for the future and promote the development of digital communities.

About 25 undergraduate students from four universities in Botswana will participate virtually in the program from Nov. 21 to 27. During the event, the students will gain rich experiences, including technical lectures, leadership workshops, Chinese cultural experiences and communication with peers from around the world, said David Zhang, managing director of Huawei Technologies Botswana, who officially inaugurated the ceremony in Botswana’s capital city, Gaborone.

“They will also participate in Huawei’s global Corporate Social Responsibility activity – Tech4Good, exploring how ICT technologies can help address major issues facing mankind,” Zhang added.

Annually, Huawei invites students to debate future trends and capitalize on new opportunities as part of its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

Winners of this global competition will be invited to China for the Tech4Good Start-up Sprint, where they will visit Shenzhen, Beijing and other cities to learn about real-world entrepreneurial ecosystems and compete for a 100,000 U.S. dollars startup support fund.

Botswana’s Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture Tumiso Rakgare said ICT is a crucial enabler in the country’s development of a knowledge-based society, education, economic growth, governance and innovation during the same occasion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).