NAIROBI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) - Kenya has hailed the important role that Chinese technology firm Huawei has played in boosting the youth's Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

(File photo: VCG)

Katherine Getao, CEO of ICT Authority told a technology forum in Nairobi that the Chinese firm is currently offering world class ICT training locally to Kenyan students.

"I am very grateful to Huawei for its cooperation with Kenya in the area of capacity building in the ICT sector that will go along way to make the county a digital economy," said Getao during the Huawei technology workshop for government ICT.

She said that a significant portion of the ICT training is focused on youth from marginalized communities.

"Each ICT training, no matter how technical the training is, always has at least 30 percent of the participants being female," Getao added.

She revealed that Huawei is also the key contractor for the country's national fiber optic network.

"The national fibre optic network is playing a key role in bridging the country's digital divide because commercial telecoms rely on the infrastructure to provide broadband to the remote areas of the country," said Getao.

She noted that the Chinese firm has been able to become a competitive tech firm due to its responsiveness to customer needs.

The Kenyan official said that Huawei is also key partner for Kenya because it has developed the latest ICT products and services through investments in research.

She observed that Huawei is a good corporate citizen due to its active corporate social responsibility programs targeted at Kenya's less unfortunate citizens. 

Marcus Ge, senior information technology solution manager of Huawei Kenya, told Xinhua in Nairobi on Friday evening that its products are already an enabler in Kenya's government departments, transport, manufacturing and banking sectors.

"Our latest products including the Wifi 6 series products will help transform Kenya into a digital economy," Ge said on the sidelines of the Huawei technology workshop for government ICT.

Ge revealed that Huawei products also have the ability to enable Kenya to successfully deploy and take advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He observed that the Chinese firm devotes significant resources in research and development to produce innovative products that are now exceed even global ICT standards.

Ge said that Huawei is already a major supplier of hardware and software to Kenya's proposed technology city Konza technology city, which is located approximately 56 km south east of the capital Nairobi.

He noted that Kenya remains a key market for Huawei because it is the technology hub for East Africa.

"We want to provide high quality products that will improve the lives of Kenyans," he added.

The Chinese technology firm entered the Kenyan market over 20 years and is now a dominant player in the ICT space.

According to Ge, Huawei products have gained acceptability in the east African nation because they are at the fore front of the ICT revolution.