PORT OF SPAIN: 14TH JUNE, 2022
Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs received a delegation from Huawei Technologies on Monday 13th June, 2022 at the Ministry’s Headquarters in St. Clair, Port of Spain. At the meeting, Huawei was represented by Mr. Allen Chen, Vice President, Huawei Public Affairs and Communications, Central America and the Caribbean Region; Mr. Evan Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Technologies (T&T) Ltd.; and Ms. Tricia Henry, Public Relations Manager, Huawei Technologies (T&T) Ltd.
The purpose of the meeting was to give insight into Huawei’s operations (locally, in Latin America and the Caribbean, and abroad) and to discuss further opportunities for collaboration between the company and Trinidad and Tobago. Huawei has operated in Trinidad and Tobago for the past sixteen (16) years, with 75% of its employees drawn from the local workforce. The Trinidad and Tobago office serves as Huawei’s regional hub for the Eastern Caribbean. Additionally, Huawei recently donated twenty-two (22) IdeaHub devices to the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs being one of the beneficiaries.
During the meeting, Mr. Chen highlighted Huawei’s Seeds for the Future Programme which is a global Corporate Social Responsibility flagship programme. This programme commenced in Trinidad and Tobago in 2016 and it seeks to develop local talent in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by offering internships, both in collaboration with local tertiary education institutions and using a competitive application process. Mr. Chen also indicated that efforts are underway to establish a Huawei ICT Academy in Trinidad and Tobago with a view to providing training to tertiary-level ICT instructors.
Minister Browne commended Huawei for these initiatives and the focus on youth, emphasising the social development potential and encouraged additional efforts to make ICT more inclusive for persons from rural communities and under-privileged backgrounds, which could have a concomitant effect of mitigating broader social challenges. The Minister also expressed gratitude to Huawei through Mr. Chen for the donation of the IdeaHubs to the Trinidad and Tobago Government and advocated for greater collaboration between the Ministry and Huawei in order to make effective use of the donated devices.
