Chinese firm resumes tech competition for students after 2-year hiatus

Africa Tech Challenge (ATC) participant in 2016. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Chinese construction firm Avic International has resumed Africa Technology Challenge (ATC) in seven countries after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.

The firm, which developed the Global Trade Centre in Westlands, announced Tuesday that the seventh edition of the annual competition will focus on the design component of engineering, especially in reading and drafting construction drawings using cutting-edge technology tools such as ZWCAD.

The competition will run from July to November and feature participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Egypt, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“The theme of this year's competition is limitless innovation, which emphasizes harnessing technology to push the boundaries of creativity, Avic said in a statement on Tuesday.

Avic International is a subsidiary of China’s Aviation Industry Corporation (Avic) that has operations spread across different industries.

The firm deals in aviation, electronics and real estate with 150 branches in 60 countries across the globe.

The competition takes the shape of a training programme and with outstanding participants getting scholarships to prestigious Chinese universities. 

The winners also land internships and job opportunities.

During this year's competition, vocational institutions will create teams of four, with one instructor and three students under the age of 24.

In total, 236 students (59 teams) from the participating countries will be enrolled. 

“Africa Tech Challenge is also a significant economic development driver since it drives solutions to challenges in the national economy that need interdisciplinary use of science and technology,’’ said Avic International.

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