The challenge is not just a competition, it is also a movement encouraging digital transformation, aimed at building qualified professionals able to work in technical fields. The programme presents training and workshops to the participants, and provides them with all the necessary support.

After training, participants will compete in the local finals, with the winners of each country getting to qualify for the regional finals. The latter take place annually as part of the activities under the the IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (GCAIoT), which will take place this year in Dubai during December.

IEEE TEMS President Andy Chen said, ‘In TEMS, we focus on people, and our collective tagline is ‘Leaders Enabling Products/Services for Good.’

He added, ‘Along with technology, we need exceptional talents for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which is important for creating socially impactful products and services.’

Chen said that the IoT & AI Challenge is designed to encourage young talents to take on the challenges that can create an impact on humanity, which is also the tagline of IEEE.

‘We are not just organising the challenge, we are also providing the youth with all the necessary knowledge and insights into the tech industry that’s happening through our IoT & AI Knowledge Hub,’ he added.

The Arab IoT & AI Challenge was launched by the IEEE TEMS society, in partnership with many regional and local partners all over the MENA region. These include: the Academy of Scientific Research in Egypt and Oman; IEEE Sections in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE; the Telecommunications Ministries in Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Oman and the UAE; as well as other innovative and tech support companies such as Ideaspace, Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Intel, Amazon, and the like.

The Africa IoT & AI Challenge was launched this week at the closing ceremony of IEEE GCAIoT 2020, and received great support from WAKANDAI Ventures and Benya.

Ahmed El Beheiry, Founder of WAKANDAI Ventures, said, ‘WAKANDAI is committed to bringing IoT & AI solutions, as well as applications, to African communities.’

He added, ‘We are pleased to announce that the Africa IoT & AI Challenge is supported by the IEEE TEMS organisation and the sponsorship of Africa’s prominent Digital Transformation Group Benya.’ Ahmed Mekky, Chairperson and CEO of Benya, said, ‘Benya Ventures, the dedicated investment fund, technology incubator and startup accelerator arm of Benya, is proud to be the sponsor of the Africa IoT & AI Challenge.’

He added, ‘Benya is committed to enabling the digital transformation of African nations, and digitally uniting the MENA region.’