At the LEAP Digital Talent Study Camp in Shenzhen, China, 10 Kenyan students recently presented an innovative solution to tackle one of Kenya’s recurring challenges—frequent flooding.
Their project, Mafreeco, is a smart system designed to clean drainage systems of garbage and trash, helping to mitigate the risk of flooding in urban areas. The name Mafreeco is derived from the local term “mafuriko,” which means floods, making the students’ initiative both culturally relevant and technically impactful
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The week-long event, hosted by Huawei, brought together students from across Sub-Saharan Africa to participate in a competitive problem-solving challenge, with a focus on emerging technologies. Students engaged in rigorous technical training in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and 5G technologies, culminating in the Tech4Good competition.
“The week was incredibly exhilarating,” said Ashley Yigo, a Mafreeco team member.
“We advanced to the finals despite working with just 1-2 hours of sleep a day to execute our project to perfection. It was an invaluable experience, gaining global insights into technology and networking,” Yigo added.
Tech prowess of African youths to solve local problems with local solutions
As a result of their hard work, the Kenyan team qualified for the Tech4Good finals, where they faced off against teams from Malawi, Mauritius, and South Africa. This accomplishment demonstrates the increasing technological proficiency of African youths and their capacity to create workable answers to regional problems.
ReVodution’s founder and Africa China analyst, Sena Voncuvoji, highlighted the program’s wider relevance by saying, “The LEAP Digital Talent Study Camp is a transformative experience for participants. It fosters collaboration, leadership, and innovation among young minds, ensuring they are well-prepared to address real-world challenges using technology.”
The study camp gave students vital exposure to cutting-edge technologies and opportunity for cross-cultural interaction in addition to technical instruction and competition.
The program is a component of Huawei’s effort to build an African workforce with digital skills.