By: Odeh Favour Adiya
Nigerian tertiary institution students have recorded a historic feat at the 10th Huawei Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competition Global Finals held in Shenzhen, China. The students won multiple top awards, setting new records in one of the world’s largest and most prestigious technology talent competitions.
According to an official statement issued by Huawei, the Nigerian teams secured two Grand Prizes, two First Prizes, and one Second Prize at the global contest. The intensive competition, which ran under the theme “Connection, Glory, Future,” witnessed fierce participation from over 201,000 students across 100 countries and regions, including more than 6,000 entrants from Nigeria alone.
A major highlight of the global event was the Grand Prize-winning Innovation Team’s project named “Paravision.” The artificial intelligence-driven healthcare solution was developed using Huawei technologies to drastically improve the diagnosis and treatment of malaria and intestinal parasites.
The practical impact and technical sophistication of the innovation heavily impressed the panel of international judges.
Commenting on the breakthrough, Huawei stated:
“A pivotal moment during the competition was the Innovation Team’s Grand Prize win with ‘Paravision’, an AI-driven healthcare solution built on Huawei’s cutting-edge tools. Designed to improve diagnosis and care for malaria and intestinal parasites, Paravision impressed judges with both its technical depth and real-world impact.”
In a breakdown of the results, Nigeria emerged with two Grand Prizes in the Innovation and Network tracks, while its two Cloud Track teams comfortably secured First Prizes. Another formidable Nigerian team walked away with a Second Prize in the Computing Track category.
Huawei described the performance as a monumental milestone for the country, noting that Nigeria has become the first and only nation in the competition’s history to produce two all-female teams that both won Grand Prizes.
Nigeria’s Consul-General in Guangzhou, Mairo Musa Abbas, was on the ground to physically present the Grand Prize trophies to the victorious teams during the colorful awards ceremony.
The massive success of the local teams further underscores the rapidly growing capacity of Nigeria’s young technology talents, particularly women, to develop innovative solutions capable of addressing real-world challenges.
Commenting on the female representation, the official statement noted:
“This victory sends a clear signal that Nigerian students, especially young women in technology, are not just end-users of technology; they are creating solutions, driving innovation, and shaping the digital future.”
The fifteen students who represented the country progressed through intense national and regional qualifying rounds before storming the global finals. They were drawn from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA), Igbinedion University, and Nasarawa State University.
This latest achievement adds to a growing record of strong performances by local youths in international technology competitions. It also highlights the strategic importance of increasing investments in digital skills development, innovation, and artificial intelligence education across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
