PORT LOUIS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Wednesday announced its plan to provide 4,000 information and communications technology (ICT) talent training opportunities in Mauritius over four years to bridge the talent gap in the digital era.

In his keynote speech, Mauritian President Prithvirajsing Roopun said the country will emerge as a hub of technological excellence, which is attractive to global talent.

Emphasizing the importance of investment in talent development, Roopun said, "I am glad to see global players like Huawei supporting national initiatives of creating talent by training our workforce and increasing their employability."

Launching the company's new round of skills training initiatives, Zheng Kui, chief executive officer of Huawei Mauritius, noted that while Mauritius has emerged as a leader in Africa in ICT, challenges remain, particularly in addressing the skills mismatch and skills gap.

With more than 3,000 training opportunities offered since 2022, Huawei will provide another 4,000 opportunities over the next four years in Mauritius, focusing primarily on artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud, storage and cybersecurity "to bridge the gap between talent supply and demand in the digital era and to cultivate high-quality ICT talent for the Mauritian industry," Zheng said.

Deepak Balgobin, Mauritian minister of information technology, communication and innovation, said Mauritius' strategic investments in ICT infrastructure, coupled with its commitment to fostering a knowledge-based economy, have laid a strong foundation for its digital future.

The minister commended Huawei for "empowering the future of our human capital to be more and more productive, efficient and modern."