A new chapter in China-Kenya cooperation in technology and digital skills development got underway on January 27, 2026, as Huawei’s ICT bootcamp kicked off in Kenya’s capital, bringing together 21 of the nation’s most promising young tech students for intensive training, mentorship, and peer learning. The bootcamp, part of the Huawei ICT Competition 2025/26 -reflects broader collaboration between the Chinese tech giant and Kenyan authorities to harness youth talent for the digital economy.
Organised under the framework of the Huawei ICT Competition, an initiative that has been running in Kenya for several years, the bootcamp selected participants from a pool of nearly 3,000 university and TVET applicants. The programme equips contestants with advanced, practical digital skills necessary to compete in the regional and global stages of the competition, including networking, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and computing innovation.
The bootcamp’s launch is part of a three-year partnership (2025–2028) between Huawei and Kenya’s State Department for Technical Vocational Education and Training (SDTVET), formalised through a memorandum of understanding. Under this collaboration, Huawei will establish 150 ICT Academies within Kenya’s TVET institutions and certify up to 1,000 students annually at the Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA) level. It will also train 150 instructors each year through “Train-the-Trainer” programmes.
Government and industry leaders have lauded the initiative as a critical step in addressing Kenya’s digital skills gap. According to SDTVET, nearly 70 percent of Kenyan youth lack the digital competencies required to thrive in today’s technology-driven economy – a gap that Huawei’s coordinated programmes aim to close by integrating industry-driven training into both academic and vocational pathways.
The bootcamp and competition build on earlier cooperation between Kenya and Huawei. In April 2025, the two partners signed an agreement to upgrade digital skills for the local workforce, establishing ICT academies in TVET institutions and creating strong links between education and industry needs.
This focus on technology education resonates with Kenya’s national ambitions to become a regional digital innovation hub, particularly in East Africa, where the ICT sector has been instrumental in economic growth and job creation. Nairobi, often dubbed “Silicon Savannah,” hosts a vibrant ecosystem of startups and tech enterprises, many of which seek talent with real-world skills in cloud services, network engineering and AI.
Kenya’s digital aspirations are also tied to broader China-Kenya cooperation in infrastructure and industry. Chinese companies have been instrumental in building transport networks such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) – enhancing connectivity and laying the groundwork for digital infrastructure, including fiber optics and smart transport systems that support e-commerce and logistics platforms. This infrastructure underpins the digitisation of services and supports innovation ecosystems.
In the education sector, Huawei’s global flagship programmes such as Seeds for the Future – have previously brought Kenyan students to China for advanced ICT exposure and cultural exchange, reinforcing ties between academic communities and global industries. A group of Kenyan students returned from a Huawei global program in mid-2025, having gained advanced skills alongside peers from countries such as Namibia, Portugal and Côte d’Ivoire.
The bootcamp’s participants will advance to the regional finals, where they will compete against students from across sub-Saharan Africa, earning opportunities to represent the region at the global finals in China later in 2026. Success on this stage offers not just trophies, but access to mentorship, certifications and recruitment pathways with leading global technology firms.
For Kenya, this deepening engagement with Huawei and China reflects a pragmatic effort to position its youth at the forefront of future industries. By bridging the digital skills gap with targeted training and industry integration, the bootcamp contributes to a resilient, innovation-driven economy – one capable of producing homegrown tech talent ready to compete globally.
As Africa embraces digital transformation, partnerships like Kenya’s with Huawei show how collaborative frameworks can build sustainable skills pipelines and broaden economic opportunity across borders.
