Huawei Sri Lanka and University of Moratuwa (UOM) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further enable the educated and talented youth in Sri Lanka to further enhance their skills in the ICT domain and to be competitive in the ever growing ICT industry, as part of Huawei’s long-term digital inclusion initiative - TECH4ALL, to support Sri Lanka to fulfil the “Smart Nation” vision of the country.

Dr. Bandula Gunawardena Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovations, Prof. K.K.C.K Perera, Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa and Mr. Liang Yi, Huawei Technologies Lanka Chief Executive Office were present at the MOU signing ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena said that “Our priority will be to produce ‘smart technocrats’ who are globally recognized and who possess internationally acclaimed qualifications required by the local and international employment markets. They will be the leaders of the future world.”

“I hope such initiative from Huawei could support us to achieve this target by maximizing the use of information and communication technologies.” Minister added.

“The 21st Century is known as the knowledge-centric century and it is important to remain competitive globally. I believe this step taken by Huawei and University of  Moratuwa  is a bold step taken towards a massive social transformation and to create a Culture of Technological Innovation” stated the Secretary to Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovations, Mr. Anura Dissanayake.

He went on to say that in future all universities will be converted to Smart Learning Universities and the necessary technical support will be provided by the government and furthermore will take steps to commence technological faculties affiliated to universities to produce more technocrats to meet the demands of the 21st Century.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Maratuwa Prof. K.K.C.K. Perera said that “As the leading technological university in Sri Lanka, we firmly believe that advance knowledge will create new opportunities and we are indeed delighted to have signed this MOU for the future development of our students to be future and industry ready and to fulfil the future demands of ICT industry of Sri Lanka. Education is the key to supporting national digital transformation and sustainable development.”

“A country cannot progress without adapting to the rapid technological changes taking place. It is with this in mind that our policies will create the environment required to develop the ICT competencies and Digital skills of future generations, in order to enable them to conquer global markets. This collaboration would certainly open up more opportunities for our student to interact more with emerging cutting edge technologies and new developments in the Industry” He added.

“We are strongly committed and are proud to be part of ICT transformation, to provide the best experience of Internet broadband access, build infrastructure in order to support digital economy, and enhance ICT knowledge of future generations of this beautiful country. We will continuously develop high-level information and communications technology and youth talent in Sri Lanka to bridge the gap between university graduates skills and capabilities and enterprises' expectations for graduates. We are in Sri Lanka for Sri Lanka” Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies Lanka Mr. Liang Yi said.

“Tech4ALL focuses on the three priorities: Connectivity, Applications, and Skills” he said adding that in terms of connectivity Huawei will continue to lower the barriers in terms of cost and coverage through technological innovation, and in terms of applications Huawei will empower the ecosystem, and help developers to create more applications for different communities and industries. Further in terms of skills Huawei will work with governments, local communities, and other industries to enhance awareness of digital skills and provide necessary help.

According to the MOU, Huawei will soon open up a joint Innovation Lab with the University of Moratuwa that will facilitate undergraduate and post graduate research work, provide a platform to develop solutions and products for industrial needs and to conduct certification courses on cutting edge ICT technologies. In addition this will further strengthen ongoing involvements such as industrial training offered to students and Seeds for the Future program that Huawei launched in 2016.

Further Huawei’s global senior experts will be sent to University of Moratuwa and support the implementation of professional technical certification. The training project aims to provide high-quality ICT talent for Sri Lanka and the South Asian region to meet the changing market requirements and challenges of ICT industry.

In Sri Lanka Huawei has been operating since 1998 and has extensive and in-depth cooperation with local mainstream telecom operators, governments, and industry customers. Over the years, Huawei has continuously promoted the development of the ICT talent ecosystem in Sri Lanka through activities such as the Huawei Seeds for the Future program that was launch in 2016, and providing internship for talented youth, and ICT Skills industrial training.