China Mobile unit opens student tech challenge in Kenya; entries close 2 November

China Mobile International (CMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile, has opened a four-month innovation challenge for students of the University of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), with registration closing on 2 November.

The best-performing team will receive corporate development support from CMI to take its solution towards commercial deployment, TechAfrica News and TechTrends Kenya reported. Xinhua said the two universities are expected to field 10 teams with about 60 to 80 participants in total, and that the top three teams will receive first-, second- and third-place awards.

The challenge was launched on 26 October at the "CMI Workshop and Hackathon for the Next Generation of Kenyan Innovators" at the Radisson Blu, Nairobi Arboretum. It runs from late October to February 2027.

John Kipchumba Tanui, Principal Secretary for the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, attended the launch. He said the partnership aims to nurture young innovators and foster technological growth, that CMI would give young Kenyans a chance to commercialise their ideas in the IT sector, and that the competition would strengthen links between industry and universities.

Terry Leung, CMI's regional managing director for Africa, said the company wants to deepen China-Africa digital innovation exchanges and tap the creative potential of Kenyan students.

Each team will be paired with a CMI sponsor who provides technical guidance and industry insight. Projects are to cover cloud computing, artificial intelligence, software engineering, the Internet of Things, data connectivity and big data analytics, and participants will be introduced to digital twins, blockchain, cybersecurity and 5G. Projects will be assessed on functionality and measurable impact, among other criteria, and the programme places emphasis on gender-balanced teams. It is being coordinated with support from Leung and from Dr Lawrence Nderu, founder and project lead of JHUB Africa.

It is not the first Chinese-company contest to draw Kenyan students. On 7 June, The Star reported that four Kenyan university students won the cloud category grand prize at the 2025–2026 Huawei ICT Competition global finals in Shenzhen, China. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi called it Kenya's first grand prize in the competition's ten-year history.

CMI was established in Hong Kong in December 2010 and opened an office in Johannesburg in September 2018. China Mobile's controlling shareholder, China Mobile Communications Group, is wholly state-owned.

Final project presentations are scheduled for 27 February 2027.