Huawei has joined UNESCO’s Global Alliance for Literacy (GAL) as part of the company’s lead-up to the Mobile World Congress 2023. The announcement was made at a Digital Talent Summit co-hosted by Huawei and the Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), which serves as the secretariat of GAL.
At the summit, Huawei and the UIL agreed to jointly promote the use of technology to raise literacy. The two parties also signed a cooperation agreement under which Huawei will fund an expansion of the UIL’s current initiatives to enhance educators’ use of technology in developing countries. Currently, the UIL initiative operates in Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Huawei is the first private company to become an associate member of GAL, and the company is excited that its own goals align with GAL’s vision of eradicating digital illiteracy in young people.
UIL Director David Atchoarena explained at the event: “Our rapidly changing world calls for concerted efforts and strong partnerships to achieve quality education and lifelong learning for all”.
Atchoarena continued: “Huawei’s expertise within the area of innovation in learning will be a great asset to the Global Alliance for Literacy. Collaborative projects such as ours will ensure that no one is left behind on this journey”.
Huawei’s own Vice President of Corporate Communicationsm Vicky Zhangm also commented: “Getting the right education is often key to success in life. As a major player in the technology sector, Huawei feels it has a responsibility to provide technology skills in all parts of the world, trying our best to include as many people as possible.
“We are proud to join forces with UNESCO to better deliver on this responsibility,” Zhang added.
Huawei believes digital talent is a key driver in achieving digital transformation, solid economic growth and better quality of life. Since 2008, Huawei has offered a wide and expanding range of talent programmes. Under its Seeds for the Future umbrella, Huawei provides tens of thousands of people every year with scholarships and digital training courses, targetting all age groups. The company also organises and sponsors tech competitions whereby students can expand their knowledge, win prizes and make new friends.
So far, Huawei’s Seeds for the Future programme has helped nurture more than 2.2 million digital talents in over 150 countries. The company’s ICT Academy can train about 200,000 students each year. In 2021, Huawei announced it had already invested US$150million and planned to invest another US$150million in digital talent development before 2026, which is expected to benefit an additional 3 million people.
