Igbinedion University Wins Overall Grand Prize and Women In Tech Award at Huawei ICT Competition Global Final

Nigeria’s Premier Private University, Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) has emerged as the Overall Best University at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Final, clinching the prestigious International Grand Prize in the Network Track category.

The all-female Team IUO, representing Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, outperformed over 201,000 participants worldwide to claim the top global honour. This victory builds on the earlier success of the team where they won the Grand Prize as the best team in the Sub-Saharan Africa regional finals.

The winning duo, Okogbe Mary (Electrical Engineering) and Imafidon Victoria Esohe (Cybersecurity), also received the Women in Tech Award, making history as the first all-female team from Nigeria to win both regional and global Grand Prizes in the competition.

With this victory, Igbinedion University, Okada, becomes the first private university in Nigeria to achieve this global feat. The success of the team highlights the growing impact of Igbinedion University’s investment in Huawei ICT Academy training and industry focused digital education.

This landmark achievement underscores a significant shift in Nigeria’s ICT landscape, demonstrating that private institutions like Igbinedion University can compete at the highest international level and produce world-class talent. It further amplifies the role of targeted skills development in bridging the gap between academia and industry.

The Huawei ICT Competition, organized annually in partnership with universities and UNESCO-IBE, tests students on networking, cloud computing, 5G, AI, and other emerging technologies. Team IUO’s triumph in the rigorous global finals is expected to inspire greater participation of Nigerian students, especially young women, in STEM fields.