From April 7-11, 2025, Zetech University was proudly represented by ten students at the Second Africa Tech Exposure Conference for University and College Students. The conference was arranged by VarsityMentor and took place at the Google Product Development Centre located in Nairobi, Kenya. The summit brought together talented students from universities and colleges across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.
The five-day conference centered on the timely theme of "AI, Android and Language: Building a Tech Career in the Age of AI," providing valuable insights into emerging technologies and career pathways.
The summit commenced with a warm welcome from Obinna Anya, UX Researcher at Google Cloud AI and Co-founder of VarsityMentor, who set the tone for the week by emphasizing the importance of African students taking leadership roles in technological innovation. This was followed by a compelling welcome keynote on "Android and Google Research for Africa" delivered by Harold Nyikal, Senior Software Engineer Manager at Google. Nyikal presented a comprehensive overview of Google's ongoing research initiatives across the continent, setting up a career in tech and highlighting opportunities for university students to contribute to these efforts.
A particularly significant moment for the Zetech University delegation came on Monday, April 7th, when Prof. Alice Njuguna, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academics, Research and Students Affairs at Zetech University, delivered an insightful guest speech on "Inventing the Future: How Students Can Co-Create Solutions Through University-Industry Partnerships."
Her presentation emphasized the crucial role of collaborative innovation between academic institutions and technology companies in developing solutions for local and regional challenges.
Prof. Njuguna's speech resonated strongly with attendees from all three participating countries, highlighting Zetech University's thought leadership in the area of industry-academia collaboration. She articulated how structured partnerships enable students to gain real-world experience while still in school, creating a pathway for innovation that benefits both educational institutions and the technology sector. This perspective aligned perfectly with the summit's overall focus on preparing students for impactful careers in the age of AI.
The summit was designed to provide a holistic experience, combining technical knowledge with career guidance, cultural context, and personal development — all with a focus on empowering African tech talent.
Key Lessons and Takeaways from the Summit
- Technical Knowledge and Skill Development — Introduction to Google's technology ecosystem and how to leverage it for innovation, with emphasis on emerging technologies, particularly Generative AI and Gemini, through multiple dedicated sessions.
- Career Development — Insights into Google's hiring process, exposure to various roles beyond engineering, networking opportunities at the Internship Fair showcasing multiple companies, and real journeys shared by Google Developer Experts to provide practical pathways into tech.
- African Innovation and Leadership — Strong focus on Africa's technological future, the role of students in Africa's revival, and an emphasis on value addition at home, encouraging local solutions to African challenges. The summit also included a documentary screening on Africa's financial independence.
- User-Centered Design and Research — Significant attention to user research methodology, practical application through a multi-day Design Challenge evolving from problem definition to prototyping and user testing, with a strong focus on inclusive design and accessibility under the theme "Building for Everyone."
- Personal Growth and Soft Skills — Sessions on self-improvement such as "Reading to Succeed!" and storytelling workshops, with an emphasis on combining technical skills with personal initiative. Participant collaboration was fostered through group activities and capstone projects.
- Industry-Education Partnership — Discussions on "University-Industry Partnerships" highlighted the importance of collaboration between academia and technology companies. Students also had exposure to startups and established companies during the Internship Fair and learned about educational opportunities through the Google Developer Program.
