Huawei Education Summit is convened this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the framework of the Company’s annual flagship project dubbed, “Ethiopia Digital Week 2025.”
The event echoes Huawei’s commitment to fostering intelligent, innovative, and sustainable education ecosystems through digital solutions. Partnering with thousands of education institutions across the world and demonstrating a strong focus on Africa, the Chinese technology giant has also been set to expand its initiative of global ICT Academy.
The latest Education Summit has brought together key stakeholders across the spectrum, including among others, leading education leaders and experts, government officials, university presidents, industry and international organizations in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to explore ways of leveraging emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), to transform education systems in the country in particular and in Africa in general.
Themed “Amplify Intelligence for Education,” this year’s summit focuses on the integration of AI in classrooms, from AI-generated lesson plans to AI-assisted teaching techniques and real-time adaptive learning platforms., innovations that are helping to shape a future where education is more accessible, student-centered, and data-driven.
The summit was opened with a focus on insights from global education leaders, who examine key trends in education digitalization and showcase best practices for cultivating digital talent.
As education systems around the world increasingly embrace digital transformation, Huawei is introducing its all-scenario smart education solutions designed to empower institutions with the tools needed for personalized learning, efficient management, and enhanced teaching outcomes.
In his opening remarks, Michael Liu, Huawei CEO of the East African Region, restated that the Huawei Education Summit of Ethiopia Digital Week 2025 provides a platform to strengthen joint efforts towards transformation of education technology. He also emphasized the role of digital and intelligent transformation of education in enabling students to enjoy cutting-edge technologies of the time and strengthen capabilities to contribute to the country’s digital and intelligent future.
The Regional CEO has reiterated the cooperation that the Company has forged with more universities in Ethiopia for training of thousands of students over a decade plus years operation in the country since 2008.
Huawei emphasizes the importance of early AI talent development by advocating for the inclusion of AI-related content in foundational and secondary education curricula.
The company sees AI as a cross-cutting discipline and is supporting interdisciplinary learning models that bring together coding, data literacy, climate awareness, and critical thinking to prepare students for the evolving demands of the workforce.
Stating that such technology, particularly AI technology is a strategic for Ethiopia rather than luxury, Dr. Zelalem Assefa, CEO of ICT and Digital Education at the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, has commended the partnership and contribution of Huawei to the East African country’s education technology.
The summit has featured special addresses from representatives of UNESCO, presenting findings and perspectives on the urgent need for educational transformation in Africa.
Emphasizing on the role that AI technology plays in every aspect these days, Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of UNESCO Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and Representative to Ethiopia, has lauded Huawei’s event that has brought together key stakeholders to dwell up on digital transformation and future of ICT in education in Ethiopia.
Stating that the African continent faces multiple, intersecting challenges with also opportunities, UNESCO is calling for African governments and private sector partners to work together in integrating climate education into formal curricula and investing in green, tech-driven educational models that meet the needs of the new green economy.
In addition to expert presentations and panels, the summit featured a roundtable discussion with university presidents from across Ethiopia, a closed-door session, aiming to examine the structural and resource gaps that currently hinder Ethiopia’s ability to fully leverage AI in higher education, according to the press release issued in connection with the event.
Participants have reflected on how to build strong local capacity for AI and ICT talent development, while also reimagining lifelong learning to be more inclusive, tech-integrated, and relevant to the country’s economic and social development goals.
Huawei’s expanded investment in its global ICT Academy initiative was announced during the summit, for which it is currently partnering with more than 2,200 educational institutions worldwide, and trains over 200,000 students each year in the areas of ICT, networking, and cloud technologies.
By 2026, the initiative is projected to reach more than 7,000 institutions and train over one million students annually. This expansion will include a strong focus on Africa, through initiatives such as the Huawei-UNESCO Open School, ICT Competitions, the Handshaking Forum, Seeds for the Future, and DigiTruck Ethiopia, a mobile digital classroom that brings connectivity and digital skills training to underserved rural communities.
Huawei has unveiled its latest education-focused technology solutions during the summit, and these include its Cloud and AI-Powered Education platform, which enables institutions to design intelligent digital learning environments; Digital Smart Campus architecture, which offers an integrated model for managing academic, administrative, and research functions in real-time; and Green Smart Campus technologies, such as modular data centers and solar-powered infrastructure, that support environmentally responsible digital transformation in education.
This year’s Huawei’s event sets the tone for what could be a transformative year for education policy and practice across Africa. With digital equity and innovation at the heart of the conversation, the summit has marked an important step in building a smarter, greener, and more inclusive future for learners and educators alike.