Africa Tech Challenge enables hands-on skills amongst the youth and prepares them to address challenges faced globally.
By Terry Njenga
Africa Tech Challenge season 8 has officially kicked off. It was officially launched by the Principal Secretary of the state Department of Technical and Vocational and Education Training Dr Esther Mouria in Nairobi on 24 th July 2023.
This year’s challenge will see youths from nine African countries competing for the top prize. The countries are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Cote D’Ivoire.
This year’s ATC Theme is ‘Role of Engineering in driving industrialization in Africa. It will focus on the rapidly developing construction industry, notably the design component.
Contestants will be able to boost their design abilities, especially in reading and drafting construction drawings using cutting-edge technology tools such as ZWCAD.
ATC season 8 will be offering free online courses to its students via AVIC INTL vocational Education online platform.
In return, this will help African countries cultivate high-quality skills and technical talents using TVETs.
Through this partnership, AVIC INTL and the Ministry of Education, the Africa Tech Challenge will see to it that 154 TVET institutions are continually equipped with modern equipment in Kenya as has been since 2010.
Season 8 cements China’s goal of equipping African youth with the global industrial skills required to spur the manufacturing sector in the African continent.
Mr. Ma Chengyuan, the representative of AVIC International Holding Corporation Kenya noted that the cooperation with Kenya and other African states is intended towards skilling the African youth as an ideal pillar of their company to improve every single season that they shall be hosting the competition.
Looking forward to a robust challenge among the 8 participating countries to showcase their skills so that they are ready to drive the development agenda of the great African continent.
He further added that this year’s theme ‘Building the Future Together with The Youth in Africa’ resonates with the firm’s ambition of building a better infrastructural sector in the continent.
China’s government has assured African countries of its continuous support in the TVET sector and also ensures that there are more exchange programs that are aimed at re-skilling African TVET trainers to be able to meet global standards.
Organizers
ATC Season VIII is organized by AVIC International Holding Corporation (AVIC INTL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Kenya and the China Education Association for International Exchange.
Africa Tech Challenge competition offers
CNC Lathe Machining, Mechanical Drawing, and CAD Software Application.
The CNC Lathe Machining competition is held offline in Kenya, while Mechanical Drawing and CAD Software Application competition is held online in the countries where each participating team is located. Before the official start of the competition, contestants will first complete a five-week professional training and obtain corresponding training certificates.
Africa Tech Challenge participants in the CNC Lathe Machining competition will be taught offline by professional teachers from Inner Mongolia Technical College of Mechanics and Electronics. The contestants in Mechanical Drawing and CAD Software Application competition will be taught online by professional teachers from Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic and Xi’an Aeronautical Polytechnic Institute and trained using zwCAD software made in China.
*Prizes*
The winning teams will receive rewards.
The winning individuals will receive opportunities to study abroad in China and recommended internships or employment.
