Third Cycle of the Seeds for the Future CSR initiative culminates successfully 

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 15 August 2017:  The third cycle of Huawei’s global CSR program for top Saudi students, ‘Seeds of the Future’, has recently culminated in the People’s Republic of China. Launched in collaboration with the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia’s initiative aims to cultivate the Saudi ICT future leaders that will carry on the responsibility of the anticipated digital transformation, a key pillar of the Saudi vision.

During the two-week educational trip, the students visited facilities throughout Beijing, and received extensive training courses at Huawei’s state-of-the-art laboratory in Shenzhen, where they learned about intelligent networks, cloud technology and the design behind some of Huawei’s most successful and innovative devices. 

H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Salem Al Ruwais, Governor of CITC, explained, “The Kingdom is continuing to invest in its citizens in order to achieve our Vision 2030 goals and establish a vibrant, tech-savvy citizenry and knowledge-based economy. The CITC is very proud of the work we do with Huawei, and are happy that yet another round of students has been exposed to technology and knowledge that will assist them in securing a bright future for both themselves and their nation.” 

While in China, the students were received by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to China, H.E. Turki bin Abdullah Al Madhi, who was excited to hear about the young Saudis’ experiences: “So far, 34 of Saudi Arabia’s top students have benefited from this world class program. When I met them, they beamed with excitement, having been exposed to and trained on technologies and concepts that will serve them well as they enter the workforce and being the path to becoming the Kingdom’s future ICT leaders and innovators.”

At the end of the trip Huawei held a closing ceremony in Shenzhen, which was attended by the Consulate General of the Royal Consulate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Guangzhou, Mr. Mohammed Bin Abdullah Alburaithin. Mr. Alburaithin said, “It was an honor to attend the closing ceremony, and I extend my thanks to Huawei for working with local Saudi partners such as CITC to continue to offer such extraordinary opportunities for our students. We are actively and passionately working to build a knowledge economy in the Kingdom, and Huawei has been contributing to this goal whole-heartedly with Seeds for the Future, as well as a variety of other initiatives.” 

Dennis Zhang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, stated, “We are very happy to be completing yet another successful itineration of the Seeds for the Future program. It has been fantastic to continue our strong partnership with CITC in the Kingdom through the guidance and nurturing of some of Saudi Arabia’s finest young ICT minds. Moreover, we are pleased to be able to contribute to the goals set forth in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Advancements in the ICT industry and ICT education are integral to socioeconomic development of different countries. The program has acted as a crucial platform for sharing the latest ICT technologies and enriching students' work experience, helping to prepare them to work efficiently in ICT and mobile communications companies”.

The returning students came from 17 universities across Saudi Arabia. As part of its commitment to the 2030 Vision, Huawei launched the ‘Seeds for the Future’ program in the Kingdom in 2015. The flagship global CSR program is aimed at cultivating local ICT talent, promoting knowledge transfer, improving people's interest in and understanding of the ICT industry, and encouraging countries and regions to participate in the building of digital communities.

As an ICT leader, Huawei is committed to promoting the ICT industry development in the countries it operates, and aims to drive long term economic, social and environmental sustainability. The program represents Huawei desire to nurture the promising young professionals in every country the company operates. Over the course of the program Huawei shares its ICT expertise, and experience in managing a multinational with young ICT professionals, and help fuel the development of local ICT industries. By implementing the program in local markets, Huawei seeks to close the gap between knowledge learned in the classroom and the skills required by the industry today’s workspace. The initiative aims to develop ICT talent among Emirati students who will become tomorrow’s leaders of innovation.