Windhoek:Five Namibian students who recently completed a weeklong information and communication technology (ICT) training at Huawei's Shenzhen headquarters in China have proposed the creation of a digital twin for Windhoek's water and power networks. This initiative also includes the implementation of remote mining operations over 5G technology.
According to NAMPA, the training, which took place from October 4 to October 10, focused on 5G private networks, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the DeepSeek large models. The program was part of Huawei's 'Seeds for the Future' global corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at nurturing young talent, and it was attended by five Namibian students alongside their counterparts from Botswana.
The students from Namibia included Tjiperinai Hambira and Ponti Muyenga from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), Alessandro Van Rooy and Alzira Dongua from the University of Namibia (Unam), and Simaneka Antindi from the International University of Management (IUM). They presented their ideas to First Gentleman Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah at State House, highlighting how the digital twin could help the City of Windhoek, NamWater, and NamPower detect leaks and predict outages. The students also suggested that 5G private networks could enable mines such as Rössing to conduct hazardous operations remotely, emphasizing a shift from traditional mining roles to skilled control-room jobs.
During the welcoming ceremony, Ndaitwah praised the students' innovative ideas, urging them not to let their concepts remain unfulfilled. He encouraged educational institutions to motivate students to excel academically and in their conduct.
The group also informed Ndaitwah of their intention to include more male participants in future programs, as previous ones predominantly featured female students. Hambira and Van Rooy were acknowledged as the second and third Best Participants, respectively, a recognition Ndaitwah described as a testament to their potential for future investment.
Reflecting on the program, Hambira expressed how the experience in Shenzhen clarified the practical application of technology-driven solutions for Namibia. Van Rooy shared that the exposure to China's advancements inspired him to believe in making a meaningful impact beyond just completing his studies.
Huawei Technologies Namibia Managing Director Enzo Fu commended the students for their willingness to participate in the program and expressed hope for future collaboration. Huawei's Seeds for the Future program, launched in 2008, has seen significant achievements, including Team Namibia's victory in the 2023 Tech4Good Global Competition with the AI learning platform YYeni, which won US$30,000 in seed capital.