Huawei recognised for championing Singapore’s National Digital for Life movement

Singapore’s Digital for Life movement, which aims to build a digitally inclusive society in partnership with the public and private sector, has recognised Huawei for collaborating with the community to further the country’s digitalisation goals. 

Huawei has been working to empower the youth to develop artificial intelligence (AI) projects for their communities. It has also provided opportunities for them to expand their knowledge in the tech sector.  

Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, Josephine Teo, said at the recent Digital for Life Partners’ Appreciation Event that the “movement continues to grow from strength to strength and empower Singaporeans from all walks of life to thrive in a digital world”. 

The Digital for Life movement’s Patron, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, presented the award to Huawei International Chief Executive Officer, Maxi Wang, during the appreciation event organised by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and hosted by Minister Josephine Teo.  

“This recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to support Singapore’s efforts in paving the way toward a shared, sustainable future with cutting edge technologies,” Wang said. 

Community efforts to embrace digitalisation can contribute to building a forward-thinking, future-proof society, he added. 

Expanding the tech talent pool  

Beyond smart devices and network infrastructure, Huawei has been fostering a tech-friendly ecosystem in Singapore that empowers people to integrate technology into their daily lives. 

In line with the National AI Strategy 2.0 and SG Green Plan 2030, Huawei has launched Tech4City initiative  from 2022 to nurture young talents to tap on information and communications technologies (ICT) and develop their ideas into meaningful contributions for the community. 

The programme is structured as a comprehensive competition where teams ideate and develop prototypes through technological innovation for social good, following the framework of care, inclusion, talent and youth (CITY). 

Last year’s competition received 89 proposals from 144 teams addressing the themes of wellbeing, learning, energy, mobility and finance. The winning team from Institute of Education (ITE) College East aimed to enhance traffic light systems to extend crossing times for persons with mobility aids. 

The objectives of Tech4City and other digital inclusion initiatives are to empower citizens to unleash their creativity and drive positive change in the digital age, Wang said. 

Huawei’s contributions to the Digital for Life movement also extends to digital literacy initiatives to expand awareness and education of digital skills for the community.  

In partnership with local academies and communities, Huawei brings together young community members to lab visits, workshops, overseas learning experiences on digital technologies. 

These experiences help equip learners with in-demand tech skills for jobs and practical skills for the community. 

Immersion programme 

A good example of this, he said, was the East Coast Immersion programme, which invited Singapore youths, with demonstrated interest in AI, to develop AI-based projects for community good. 

The programme started on June 10 at Huawei’s AI Lab in Singapore, with 15 participants learning about AI tools and the basics necessary to develop their projects.  

After that the students went to Huawei’s global headquarters in Shenzhen, China, where they attended sessions conducted by experts to expand their knowledge on the impact of AI-powered solutions. 

Initiatives such as these drive Digital for Life movement’s mission of making digitalisation accessible to citizens of all ages and digital skill levels, and to help them understand the advantages of digital technologies, Wang said. 

Additionally, Huawei has partnered with Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) to support initiatives to promote cybersecurity and scam awareness campaigns to build a digitally resilient society both offline and online.  

To date, over 400,000 Singaporeans have benefitted from the Digital for Life movement and the number of partners has more than doubled, from 130 partners in 2022 to over 300 today.