A team of Mozambican students has claimed third place in the global final of the Huawei ICT Competition 2025-2026, held in Shenzhen, China, placing national talent among the standout performers in a contest that drew participants from across the world. It marks the first time a Mozambican team has reached the global stage of the competition.
The team comprised final-year students from different higher education institutions: Neyla Mussá from the Escola Superior de Ciências Náuticas (ESCN), Walter Salgado from the Instituto Superior de Transportes e Comunicações (ISUTC), and Nério Jamisse from the Universidade Pedagógica de Maputo (UP-Maputo). They competed in the Cloud AI category, a discipline that combines cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Diário Económico spoke with the winners, who shared the challenges they faced during the competition, the skills they developed throughout the process, and their assessment of Mozambique’s current technological landscape.
Cloud infrastructure and AI under pressure
According to the participants, one of the main challenges involved building cloud computing infrastructure. The students were required to create virtual machines, establish connections between different environments, and develop structures capable of communicating with one another.
The exercise also incorporated concepts such as scalability — a fundamental characteristic of modern digital services. In practice, the infrastructure had to be capable of responding to increases or decreases in demand by adjusting available resources to the number of users.
The artificial intelligence component added another dimension to the challenge. The team received data relating to industrial machines that could exhibit operational faults, and were required to develop an algorithm capable of anticipating potential failures, estimating when they might occur, and indicating when intervention would be necessary.
The Huawei ICT Competition brings together hundreds of thousands of university students from around the world each year.
The examination was scheduled to last eight hours but ultimately extended to approximately nine hours of concentrated work. ‘It was a challenge that required not only technical knowledge but also considerable decision-making ability and teamwork,’ said Neyla Mussá.
Pressure, the students noted, was one of the defining features of the experience. The need to find solutions within a limited timeframe forced the team to divide tasks, make rapid decisions, and adapt to problems as they arose during the competition.
A market still in its early stages
Despite their achievement, the students believe Mozambique still has a long way to go in adopting technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
In their assessment, the country already has some infrastructure in place and is beginning to see greater corporate interest in digital solutions. The main challenge, however, lies in converting that installed capacity into effective use.
‘Having infrastructure is not enough. We need people who can work with it and companies that have the capacity and the interest to use these technologies,’ said Walter Salgado.
The students describe Mozambique’s current technology market as still ’embryonic’, particularly when compared with countries where the use of cloud computing, AI, and data is already more deeply integrated into business processes.
The journey to the podium began in October 2025 and spanned approximately eight months, progressing through several elimination rounds.
‘The existence of data centres, for example, does not automatically mean the country is exploiting the full potential of that infrastructure. It is necessary to increase the number of specialised professionals and stimulate demand for technology skills,’ Neyla Mussá noted.
The challenge also extends to the public sector. In the team’s view, public institutions have room to strengthen the strategic use of data and to adopt technologies capable of improving processes and services.
From the global podium to professional opportunities
The recognition is already beginning to have an impact on the students’ professional lives. Although the team has not yet received any proposals to develop a joint project, some members say they have experienced greater professional visibility following the competition, particularly through LinkedIn.
‘After the competition we started receiving more attention. People began to follow our work and to reach out to us.’
The experience demonstrates, according to the students, the importance of combining academic training with practical opportunities that allow knowledge to be tested in real situations.
Despite their victory, the students believe Mozambique still faces a considerable journey in the adoption of technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
A signal of national potential
In the global final, the Mozambican team competed against teams from countries including Vietnam, Italy, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Madagascar, Morocco, China, and Brazil, among others.
Beyond the competitive element, the event gave the young competitors an opportunity to exchange experiences and observe different levels of technological development.
‘We realised that we are capable of competing internationally. What we need is more opportunity, training, and access to the right tools.’
The third-place finish in Shenzhen therefore represents more than an academic result. It demonstrates that Mozambique has young people capable of competing in a global technology ecosystem, and highlights the potential that could be unlocked through greater investment in training, innovation, and digital infrastructure.
For the team, the podium is not a destination but a starting point. The challenge now is to transform individual achievements into concrete opportunities — to build products, companies, and technology solutions capable of addressing the country’s problems and generating economic value in Mozambique.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=529351
