Igbinedion University wins Huawei ICT contest, qualifies for global final

Education, Technology

EDO, NIGERIA, April 6, 2026 (NPA) — Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Edo State, has emerged overall winner in Sub-Saharan Africa at the Huawei ICT Competition, securing a place in the global final to be held in China.

The announcement was made in a statement by the university’s Deputy Director of Public Relations, Mr. Lucky Eboh, on Saturday in Benin. He explained that IUO clinched the grand prize in the Network Track category, which tests participants on communication networks, routing, switching, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies such as 5G and cloud integration.

Eboh noted that the university outperformed competitors from across the region, marking a significant milestone as IUO is the only private Nigerian university to reach this stage of the competition. The victory qualifies the team to represent Nigeria against top-performing institutions from Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and other regions.

Organised annually by Huawei in partnership with universities and UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE), the competition focuses on building practical digital skills in networking, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.

The Vice-Chancellor of IUO, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, described the achievement as a reflection of Nigeria’s evolving ICT talent landscape, with private institutions increasingly driving digital innovation. He attributed the success to sustained investment in ICT training and strategic partnerships, including the establishment of Huawei ICT Academies to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry demands.

“With the global final ahead, the team is expected to compete against the best young tech talents worldwide, positioning Nigeria once again on the global ICT map,” Ezemonye said.