AI: Moroccan Project Secures Grand Prize at Huawei ICT Competition

Morocco made a remarkable showing at the Huawei ICT Competition 2024-2025 Global Finals, held from May 19 to 25 in Shenzhen, southern China, securing the Grand Prize in the “Innovation Track” category. The winning project, “NovaOR Out Of The Box,” was developed by students from the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques in Errachidia, part of Moulay Ismaïl University.

Led by students Ayman Amokrane and Maryeme Hassani under the supervision of Professor Yousef Farhaoui, the award-winning project leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance healthcare facility management through predictive analytics technologies.

Over 200,000 students from top universities worldwide participated in the national, regional, and global stages of this prestigious competition organized by Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

This triumph positions Moulay Ismaïl University on the global map of technological and academic excellence. It also reflects the institution’s commitment to fostering a generation of skilled, innovative individuals capable of addressing the challenges of an ever-evolving digital world.

In a statement to the Moroccan Press Agency (MAP), Yousef Farhaoui hailed the victory as a collective success, resulting from the joint efforts of the supervising ministry, Moulay Ismaïl University, and the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques in Errachidia. He noted that the team excelled in the national and African stages before claiming the top global spot.

Farhaoui emphasized that this achievement underscores the relevance of Morocco’s digital strategy at continental and global levels, as well as the Kingdom’s growing prominence in diverse fields under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

In addition to “NovaOR Out Of The Box,” Morocco was represented in two other categories at the global finals: the “Cloud” category by a team from the National Institute of Posts and Telecommunications (INPT) and the “Computing” category by another group from the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques in Errachidia.

Finalist teams received close mentorship following their qualification, benefiting from technical guidance and strategic support from their professors and Huawei experts.

The journey began in September 2024 with the launch of registrations. Moroccan teams underwent an intensive training program on Huawei’s “eTalent” platform before advancing through the national and regional stages, which covered North African countries.

Huawei’s Information and Communication Technology Academy trains and certifies thousands of students annually across more than 110 countries. To date, it has trained over 1.3 million students worldwide.