LUSAKA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Huawei on Tuesday launched the 2023 "Seeds for the Future" program in Zambia aimed at upscaling ICT talent.

The launch was attended by officials from the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, Zambian government officials, Huawei officials as well as students from universities participating in this year's program.

About 50 students will participate in this year's program, the highest number since it was launched in Zambia in 2015.

Meng Hao, a minister counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said at the launching ceremony that China takes pride in the development of ICTs and ICT talent because technological development was a catalyst for social and economic development.

Meng commended Huawei for extending ICT training in Zambia as well as other initiatives and expressed confidence that such partnerships that embody China-Zambia relations will result in the strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

Meng urged the students to take the program seriously as it will provide them with the right skills to enable them to make it in the tech industry as well as realize their full potential.

Felix Mutati, Zambia's minister of Technology and Science, also praised Huawei for the program, saying it was in line with the government's strategy of improving digital skills, promoting digital entrepreneurship and facilitating the flow of digital information.

He said the exposure that the students will receive through the program will help in accelerating Zambia's digital transformation. "We are confident that this training will spark the minds that will come up with wonderful innovation ideas and consequently research," he said.

The program will go a long way in bridging the digital gap in Zambia, he stressed, adding that the government was happy with the impact of the program over the years.

Phil Li, the Huawei vice president for the Southern African region, said the company's goal was to increase social and economic opportunities for people and increase youth employability through ICT capacity building.

In a speech read for him by Bette Chen, Huawei Zambia's managing director, Li said the company believes that digital talent was a key driver in achieving digital transformation, solid economic growth and better quality of life.

"We have made Seeds for the Future to be a major catalyst to the expansion and integration of digital skills all over the world," he said, declaring that the company was pleased with the program as it has brought endless benefits to communities and many students have been exposed to latest technological innovations and entrepreneurship skills.

According to him, the company will continue to double its efforts in bridging the digital gaps through skills training and was seeking more partnerships.

Josephat Kalezhi, the dean of the School of Information and Communication Technology at the Copperbelt University, one of the universities participating in the program, described Huawei's program as a defining project for Zambia's digital transformation journey as it has gone a long way in developing digital talent in Zambia.