By ; Bakinam Khaled
From February 26th to 29th, Barcelona hosted the latest edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the annual global gathering for technology stakeholders organized by the GSMA. Huawei particularly stood out at this event by highlighting its technological leadership and commitment to sustainable innovation and digital inclusion.
Under the theme "Future First", MWC underscored the importance of uniting industries, technologies, continents, and communities to explore the future. Huawei demonstrated its commitment to intelligent, inclusive, and environmentally-respectful digital transformation, especially in Africa, where Huawei Northern Africa (North, West and Central Africa) is actively engaged in driving technological innovation in harmony with the needs of the populations.
On the sidelines of the MWC, during the Northern Africa OTF (Operations Transformation Forum) 2024 organized by Huawei on February 25th, the company launched the "Northern Africa Digital Intelligence Transformation Pioneer Club", in partnership with various African operators. Under the theme "Embracing the New Era of Digital Intelligence Transformation", the event brought together over 100 government representatives, operators, industrial organisations and regional analysts in order to share insights and best practices for intelligent digital transformation among telecommunications operators.
Northern Africa OTF 2024
During this Forum, Eric YUAN, President of Delivery & Service, Huawei Northern Africa, unveiled the launch of the xCare Digital Operation solution for the Northern Africa region, which will support regional operators in their digital transformation efforts. Concluding the event, Terry HE, President of Huawei Northern Africa, emphasized the company's commercial success and commitment in the region for over 20 years, while highlighting the crucial significance of intelligent digitalization in sustaining the growth and competitiveness of operators.
There was also a focus on education and training in new technologies. At the Huawei Talent Summit held on February 26th under the theme "Nurturing Excellence in a Digital World", several initiatives were launched, including a project in partnership with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Morocco, aimed at providing training to 10,000 young people, teachers and literacy professionals in new technologies. Each of them will benefit from substantial trainings as part of the nationwide rollout in 2025. Speaking at the summit, Vicky Zhang Vice President of Huawei's Corporate Communications Dept, underlined the company's commitment to developing digital talents worldwide: “I hope more people can participate in these projects, stay connected and be role models for others, we become more than the sum of our individual parts. This is how an inclusive digital future will be shaped”
The construction of a prosperous and sustainable digital training ecosystem was also discussed during an X Space organised by Huawei Northern Africa on February 27th and moderated by Mohamadou Diallo, Founder & Publisher of Cio Mag. All participants stressed the importance of creating digital training ecosystems to retain talent in Africa, by promoting the enhancement and updating of skills. “Despite the high demand for young talents in the current digitalization context, brain drain poses a significant challenge in our region," said Adnane Ben Halima, Vice-President of Public Relations at Huawei Northern Africa.
At the heart of discussions during the MWC, sustainability is also at the core of Huawei's commitment, especially in Africa. This was emphasised during a roundtable attended by Jeremy Lin, Executive Vice President of Huawei Northern Africa, as well as Adnane Ben Halima. The discussion focused in particular on the need to reduce energy consumption, as many devices are criticised for their energy-hungry nature, especially cloud infrastructures. Jeremy Lin highlighted the company’s substantial progress in this field, stating: "At Huawei, we have achieved significant strides in optimisation, leveraging advances in artificial intelligence and pioneering innovative cooling methods." These efforts demonstrate the company's dedication to enhancing energy efficiency and contributing to environmental sustainability.
