Huawei, a leading Chinese multinational technology company has raised concerns over the global shortage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) talents, describing it as a significant barrier to the growth of digital economies.
This was disclosed by Terrence Wu, Managing Director of Huawei Nigeria Enterprise Business Group, during the Art of Technology 6.0 conference held in Lagos on Thursday.
Wu highlighted that the shortage of AI professionals remains a global issue, with talents unevenly distributed across regions.
He explained that this imbalance poses significant challenges to the development of digital economies worldwide.
The Huawei executive emphasized that this scarcity is happening at a critical time when demand for AI computing power is expected to outpace that of general computing power, highlighting the need for global collaboration to close the talent gap.
Huawei’s local cloud service in Nigeria
Wu pointed out Huawei’s long-standing commitment to advancing digital transformation in Nigeria, stating that the company had been operating in the country for over 25 years.
As part of its efforts, Huawei recently launched a local cloud service in Nigeria.
The service is designed to provide businesses, startups, and individuals with access to AI computing power and over 240 advanced digital solutions.
“The company has built five development timelines from hardware development to software development, from data governance to AI model development, and digital content production,” Wu stated.
Innovative applications of AI
- During his presentation, Wu shared examples of Huawei’s AI-driven solutions across various industries.
- He highlighted how Huawei’s AI weather model can predict global typhoon paths with remarkable accuracy in just 10 seconds.
- In addition, Huawei has partnered with educational institutions like UNISA to develop AI-integrated smart campus systems capable of detecting and resolving network faults automatically.
What you should know
During President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Huawei’s Beijing Research Centren ealier this year, Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to aligning its resources with Nigeria’s goals of fostering digital skills, intelligent systems, and low-carbon development.
- Huawei Technologies has solidified its position as a key player in Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts, supporting initiatives like the 3MTT program and the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP). The company has also introduced the DigiTruck initiative to improve digital literacy in underserved areas, aiming to train 3,000 students annually across 10 Nigerian states.
- Huawei pledged to enhance Nigeria’s National Talent Export Programme by expanding its Network Operations Center (NOC) to prepare Nigerian technology experts for more opportunities in African and global markets.
In addition, the company entered into a partnership with Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to build a joint solar PV test facility.