NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 2 – Kenyan technical institutions claimed top honors at the tenth season of the Africa Tech Challenge (ATC), showcasing the country’s growing prowess in engineering and technology.
Kisii National Polytechnic, Technical University of Kenya, and Meru National Polytechnic excelled across multiple fields, including CNC turning, mechanical engineering, and mobile applications development.
Individual competitors also made a mark, with students Ian Claris Nderitu and Victor Njune securing scholarships to study in China.
“I’m lost for words. This opportunity will afford me training opportunities in China to prepare for the WorldSkills Competition,” said Nderitu.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba hailed the competition for equipping Kenyan students with skills to compete globally.
“And because of that partnership, we are seeing a lot of progress in our students being skilled and getting the best practices across the world,” he said.
The five-week challenge, jointly organized by AVIC INNO, the Ministry of Education, and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), brought together 568 participants in 142 teams from 12 countries, including Kenya, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Li Qingtang, Executive Vice President of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), highlighted the company’s role in advancing technical education in Africa.
“Upholding the philosophy of ‘Love in Aviation,’ and through its ‘Blue Ribbon’ overseas Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, AVIC has built and upgraded 189 vocational institutions across Africa, training more than 20,000 teachers and students annually,” he said.
Since its inception in 2014, the Africa Tech Challenge has trained over 1,000 young people across the continent and is credited with nurturing Africa’s next generation of engineering and technology professionals.
