How technology enables digital inclusion and sustainability at MWC Barcelona 2023

After launching the TECH4ALL initiative at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona four years ago, Huawei and its partners shared the latest insights and practices on how technology is enabling digital inclusion and sustainability at a media roundtable on Day 1 of MWC Barcelona 2023.

“All of our efforts with the TECH4ALL initiative wouldn’t have been possible without taking technology and partnerships as key enablers,” said Jeffrey Zhou, President of ICT Marketing for Huawei, in his opening speech. “Since the launch of TECH4ALL, more than 600 schools worldwide, over 220,000 K12 teachers and students in remote areas, unemployed youth, women, and the elderly, and 46 nature reserves have benefited from the TECH4ALL program. Moving forward, we will keep innovating and using technology along with our global partners to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital world for all.”

At the end of his speech, Zhou officially launched the TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion special publication, which shares the diverse visions, strategies, and best practices of global experts and partners in 15 stories set out in three sections: Insights, Technology in Focus, and Case Studies. The special publication is now ready to view and download on the Huawei TECH4ALL website.

Also at the roundtable, representatives from UNESCO and the global NGO Close the Gap explored how technology is helping to boost the digital transformation of education and improve digital skills, especially for underserved groups in remote and rural areas. These include providing connectivity, expanding digital literacy and skills, and supporting STEAM curriculum through projects such as Technology-enabled Open Schools for All, DigiSchool, and DigiTruck.

“Digital open schooling models are the manifestation of the digital transformation of school education. It’s an open approach to reinventing schooling systems to ensure school education, including knowledge learning, skills development, the fostering of values, and social caring, will be secured both under normal and emergency situations,” said Dr. Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Education for UNESCO.

“The UNESCO-Huawei project Technology-enabled Open Schools for All is having a ground-breaking impact on the building and testing of digital open schools in African countries. The project directly covers more than 20,000 students and more than 1 million teachers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Egypt.”

TECH4ALL partner Close the Gap described the value of the DigiTruck in providing free digital skills training for remote communities in Africa.

“We have partnered with Huawei to develop and deploy DigiTrucks in Africa to rural and peri-urban communities specifically targeted at preparing the young people in those communities for the digital jobs of the future,” said Ngosa Mupela, Business and Investment Manager for Close the Gap.

Under the TECH4ALL initiative, technology is also enabling sustainable management of natural resources and protecting biodiversity. Arno Cimadom from the National Park Neusiedler See-Seewinkel in Austria explored the pivotal role technology plays in wetland conservation, including protecting biodiversity and studying the effects of climate change on ecosystems.

“Thanks to the new technology provided by Huawei and its partners, we are now for the first time able to collect sound data 24/7, year-round, simultaneously from more than 60 sites and analyze them via AI-models provided by Rainforest Connection. This makes research and management in difficult-to-access wetland areas more efficient and allows new investigations,” said Arno Cimadom, representing National Park Neusiedler See-Seewinkel.

Alongside the media roundtable, the Huawei TECH4ALL booth at MWC Barcelona 2023 welcomes visitors to explore the latest progress in projects running under the initiative and learn about the crucial role that technology and partnerships can have in enabling inclusion and sustainability.