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More than 60 students from Qatar University (QU) and Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and its partner universities have completed the Ebda Desert Challenge 2014. |
During this year’s challenge, 10 teams were tasked to “locate, extract, and sell oil” with the team posting the highest “profit” or points at the end of the two-day event winning the competition.
This year’s winners included The Desert Eagles, which won all four challenges while The Dark Knights took home the best male team. The Chosen Ones were named best female team while The Queen Bees received an award for best team spirit.
The Ebda Desert Challenge tests participants’ strategy, problem solving, technical and leadership skills, and physical endurance. This year’s challenge was split into four stages over the two days - data, licenses, production and markets, which took place at various locations around the Fuwairit campsite.
The event forms part of Ebda, a tailor-made programme offered jointly by QU and HBKU and sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar that focuses on building leadership skills in students through experience-based learning.
Ameena Hussain, director of Student Life at HBKU, said: “Challenges like this show how beneficial experience-based learning can be in the development of skills such as
leadership and teamwork.”
Abdulla al-Yafei, QU’s associate vice president for Student Life and Services, said: “QU aims to ensure students leave university equipped with practical skills that they can apply to everyday life.”
Ebda was sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar as part of its commitment to the Qatar National Vision 2030. Through its Action for Qatar social investment programme, Maersk Oil Qatar aims to support economic, social, and environmental progress.
The event also complements Maersk Oil Qatar’s internal Qatarisation Strategy for employees that seeks to develop future leaders.
Sheikh Jassim bin Saud al-Thani, head of Qatarisation at Maersk Oil Qatar, said: “Ebda has grown significantly since its launch and it shows no sign of slowing. Maersk is committed to the development of Qatar’s future leaders and exciting programmes such as Ebda to demonstrate these changing attitudes.”
