Hammed Kayode Alabi

The story you may still not find in the news. I hope it inspires someone not to give up. I was raised and born in Makoko I lost my Mum at 7 We moved to Bariga at 12, another slum in Lagos My dad lost everything at 12, sold his property, and a couple of stuff I hawked sweet and spaghetti at 13 At 15, I was awarded the best prefect in my secondary school At 15, I also worked as a labourer in construction sites At 15, I taught basic education in a nursery school At 15, we were sent packing from our rented apartment in Bariga. Nearly homeless for the first time. At 17, I worked as Airtel KYC agent, registering sim At 17, I got admission into the University of Ilorin At 19, 20, won the University of Ilorin scholarship award At 20, appointed as the deputy commandant of the Nigerian Red Cross At 21, in my final year last semester had a 5.0 GPA, scored A in my project dissertation. At 21, Graduated as the best student in my department At 22, won the NYSC Edo State Award. At 23, Founded a non-profit to support children of my kind. At 23, attended my First international conference. At 23, started a blog with over 275k views and readership from more than 20+ countries At 24, selected as an SDGs Youth Champion with African Monitor and engaged Office of the Senate President At 24, selected as a Fellow, Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative and winter $5000 grant with other 4 fellows. At 24, won the Keenista African Youth Competition Award (top 2 -7) prize. At 24, awarded Talent of the Future Africa At 24, featured by UNFPA as a global goal champion At 24, spoke at an international summit At 25, won the United State Consul General Award At 25, completed, authored my first book and sold in more than 3 countries At 25, became a Fellow-in-Residence and Regional Manager of a global non-profit in the United States (Peace First) At 25, won a scholarship in the UK (IDS) At 25, facilitated in another continent outside Africa At 25, made my first million in Naira At 26, won two most prestigious scholarships (Chevening and Mastercard Foundation Scholarship) At 26, studying at The University of Edinburgh (top 16 in the world, best in Scotland and top 5 in the UK) At 26, completed my second book titled 5 years At 27 graduated from the The University of Edinburgh At 27, won the First-ever Ufahamu Africa Essay contest for my piece on life and politics in Africa At 27, Published my Second book “5 Years” on Amazon At 27, became, the first young African Board Member at Peace First At 27, worked with the MasterCard Foundation and co-created a mentoring programme for refugees in Uganda At 27, got a role with Refugee Education UK. At 27 became a World Economic Forum, Global Shaper. At 28, won Oxford Rhodes Scholars-in-Residence African Finance Initiative Grant to scale my social innovation Skill2Rural Bootcamp. At 28, spoke at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris as a youth delegate at the pre-summit of the Transforming Education Summit. At 28, worked with the British Red Cross, and coordinate the Refugee and Befriending Programme in Hammersmith, London. At 28, worked as a Research Assistant with the Mastercard Foundation at the University of Edinburgh on the Identity in Transition project At 28, invited as a guest lecturer by the Open University, UK to take a module on communications for development. At 28, partnered with the American corner to organise a launch and learn event for my second book “5years” the room was filled At 28, presented at the University of Edinburgh Teaching and Learning Conference and was featured by them too. At 28, made the University of Edinburgh Climate 75 list At 29, selected as 1 of the 20 for the University of Pennsylvania Centre for social impact strategy Global Social Impact House Fellowship. Was the youngest in the Fellowship. At 29, Co-authored and published my third book titled “Career Wisdom” and all profit goes to my non-profit.

I am happy to share that Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative- KLCI can now receive global payments via Rafiki (rafikigen.ai), our generative AI career advisor and counselor. We are already testing with a few users to see if the payment works fine and I can say I have just successfully subscribed and now able to access Rafiki X premium version. I have not been able to do that since launch and glad I could do this now. Until the platform can sustain itself, I will keep my monthly subscription of $4. So I am now inviting my friends in diaspora and global friends to test it. Please try to sign up and go premium? And see how the payment platform works. Just you know that whenever you pay, you ensure that those without access and money, can have access to unlimited chats on the platform and young refugees and those from underserved communities can continue to use our WhatsApp AI career chatbot for free. $4 unlocks 800 career messages for around 200 users. Can you think about the scale. I believe this is also a new way to use th power of diaspora and global community to redistribute wealth in a way that is meaningful. Try it via the link below Rafikigen.ai and if you cannot pay, you can always use the free version. Caption: This is one of the biggest bet I have made and I can’t wait to see what it brings, and the ripple effect. Thanks to Emmanuel Adebayo for all the work behind the scenes to make sure this work and bringing this to life. I appreciate you man.

Some weeks ago, I spoke at a closed reception and had the pleasure of speaking about my work, my journey, my grief, my purpose, and the work my loss had inspired. It was great to spotlight Rafiki AI (skill2rural.org/rafiki) and Rafiki X (rafikigen.ai), which is Africa’s first generative AI career advisor and counselor for underserved and displaced young people, and has reached over 11,000 users across 60 countries, exchanged more than 90,000 messages, and answered over 41,000 career-related queries. One moment was talking about a Yemeni user using Rafiki AI. I do not know what condition the user is in. Whether they are in a refugee camp or somewhere trying to access information that could change their lives but if a platform that I have created gives them a bit of hope. That is my way of responding to the refugee crisis. If a young person somewhere in the slum, who has lost both of their parents and has no one to guide them or ask critical life questions and Rafiki could bridge that gap, that is what it means to live through my grief. To be honest, grief doesn't go anywhere. Grief is acceptance and that acceptance is the beginning of doing remarkable things. That when we walk alongside our grief and when it fuels our creativity, something that may seem dark may become light. Always a pleasure to share a bit of myself with the world and to find new ways of reimagining our humanity. Grateful for all the connections I made after my talk and for all the people who have extended a hand to support us in this journey of creation and reaching millions. Still Day One!

I took this photo in Washington, DC, when I visited last year to recreate the photo of Tony Elumelu that I saw on UBA Group's Instagram in 2024, but I have never brought myself to post it or share it online. It took me about 7 months to finally post it. Within that period, I have launched the HKA Changemaking fund, which has given out close to $2000 to young changemakers and social entrepreneurs doing incredible work in Nigeria, and launched Rafiki X (Rafikigen.ai), a generative AI career advisor. When I took this photo to mirror Tony Elumelu's, I thought about the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the TEF Grant of $ 5,000 that has been given to over 24,000 young entrepreneurs across Africa. I have also read his stories of growth and how he moved through the ladder from a copier salesman to a branch manager at 26, to becoming the CEO of United Bank of Africa, and building Heirs Holdings. I also started a non-profit at 23, became a regional manager of a global non-profit at 25, and built the first generative AI career advisor at 31. Whilst the journey might look different and I am not yet at that level, it reminded me that I am also on the journey, and this smaller version is the bigger version of such dreams. So help me God.

This is for those who celebrate outside of the shores To the ones who had to return to work after prayers and could not spend time with their families or loved ones To the ones who carry heavy hearts With loneliness staring at their face instead of joy today To the ones battling something no one knows about This Eid is for you and I hope you find the reason to smile in the joy of spending the last 30 days with Allah. Eid Mubarak fam! Yours from the shores.

In 2007, I attended a leadership camp organised by the @MTNNG Foundation in partnership with the Hope Worldwide Foundation for vulnerable children. We were living in Bariga, Lagos Nigeria then, and I was around 13 to 14 years old. I will never forget the words of Mr. Seye, who noticed my brilliance and commended me. I remember even being nominated for most outspoken at the camp. Did not even know what that meant at the camp but I realised the freedom I had there and how I was learning deeply. I could recall on the day we were leaving camp, how Mr. Seye told my dad how brilliant I was and I could not even forget the definition of self-esteem I learned at the camp. “Self-esteem is the way you see yourself and you see the world and the way you handle yourself and the way you handle the world” That definition stayed with me. I started thinking of not being the victim of my story but doing something about my environment. I could also recall that during my secondary school days, I think I was between 13 and 14 too. We had just resumed the second term for Senior Secondary School 2 and I was called as one of those with the highest score in accounting, after being one of those with an average score in a session before. Mr. Sao, the teacher noticed the difference then and told me how proud he was and how I had improved significantly. It affected my confidence positively and I started doing better in other subjects and areas. I can go on and on to mention people whom I have met along my journey and shaped who I have become, and it is the reason why I do what I do at Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative - KLCI. We never can tell the words we share with a child, with a young person living in the slum or rural communities, and how that shapes their trajectory forever. It has been 19 years ago and I still remember that definition of self-esteem. That is what it means to create an impact and impression in the heart of a young person. I do not know where either Mr. Sao or Mr. Seye is at the moment but I just wanted to publicly thank them for shaping my experience positively. Truly we are not totally self-made, we are sometimes made by the people we encounter whether positively or negatively. I am glad mine was the latter.

I was watching a series and an episode caught my attention. It was an episode where a father told his daughter that she could always back out and that no matter what, he would be there waiting for her, and that she could always come back home. Whenever the daughter faced any difficulties, the father reminded her that she would always have a refuge at home. The girl went on to smash her exams, win an athletic race, and become a very high performer. It made me think about the power of courage. Sometimes courage is not because we have the capacity or capabilities to do things, but it is because we know that someone has our back. It is knowing that when we fall, there is a safety net somewhere. It is because we know someone would catch us before we fall and push us back up. Sometimes that is where courage comes from. It is the belief others have in us and we go on to believe in ourselves. I understand that sometimes courage can be internal but we should not also underestimate the power of a safety net. The power of a loving home that we can always fall back on. The power of resources that allows us to take risks and build things. Sometimes it is knowing that someone has our back, that is when we go on to do remarkable things.

I am 40 years old and I have never owned a car. Does that make me a failure?

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 🇵🇪 Dear friends, Together with @Tunde_OD, we are taking on a historic challenge: We will attempt to break the World Record for the longest Chess Marathon — in Lima, Peru. 🗓 June 25–28 📍 Lima, Peru 🌍 Held during the World Mining Congress For four days, chess will not sleep. This will be more than a record attempt. It will be a global statement - bringing together endurance, excellence, international stars, and thousands of players under one roof. We will invite leading chess grandmasters and create an event that places Peru at the center of the international chess stage. Now we need your support: Who can recommend the best venue in Lima capable of hosting thousands of participants and spectators? Lima has the opportunity to become the world capital of chess - even if just for a few unforgettable days. Let’s build history together 🇵🇪 ANUNCIO OFICIAL 🇵🇪 Queridos amigos, Junto con @Tunde_OD, asumimos un desafío histórico: Intentaremos romper el Récord Mundial del Maratón de Ajedrez más largo — en Lima, Perú. 🗓 25–28 de junio 📍 Lima, Peru 🌍 En el marco del Congreso Mundial de Minería Durante cuatro días, el ajedrez no dormirá. Esto será mucho más que un intento de récord. Será una declaración global — reuniendo resistencia, excelencia, estrellas internacionales y miles de jugadores bajo un mismo techo. Invitaremos a destacados grandes maestros y crearemos un evento que colocará a Perú en el centro del escenario ajedrecístico internacional. Ahora necesitamos su apoyo: ¿Quién puede recomendarnos el mejor recinto en Lima, con capacidad para miles de participantes y espectadores? Lima tiene la oportunidad de convertirse en la capital mundial del ajedrez — aunque sea por unos días inolvidables. Construyamos historia juntos 🇵🇪 #WorldMiningCongress #chess #mining #lima #peru

@Tunde_OD @wr_chess Congratulations my good man. This is huge. Keep doing great things from the smallest of all places, impacting lives and seeing the world.

I’m honored to share that I have been appointed the first Global Ambassador for @wr_chess This new chapter will take me across continents, promoting chess and impacting lives on a global stage from Africa, Asia, Latin America tour to a world record event in Peru in June. The CEO of WR Chess @WadimRosenstein has quietly supported the African chess community for four years. Together I believe we can achieve so much more for the chess world. We agreed to meet in Paris and travel to Prague for the chess festival. And for hours, we spoke about a global vision and a legacy for chess development and industrialization across Africa and beyond. One important thing Wadim and I share in common is we both came from nothing but chess opened doors we never imagined. Now we want to extend this to the world. I am proud to join the WR Chess family. Even more excited for what we will build together. It is possible to do great things from a small place.

we will do great things together my friend @Tunde_OD

I shared about grief being a privilege last year and it went viral but I have spoken about the thought when I was recording this video 10 months before. It was a thought I have held on for a very long time and it took time to piece it together and I am still piecing it together.

Have you heard about Rafiki X? Rafiki X is the web-based extension of Rafiki AI, designed to support your career with advanced tools and personalised guidance. By signing up you get: ●Tailored career advice using your CV ● Interview preparation support ● Help telling your story for job applications ● Free plan available, with premium features for advanced support Join professionals already using Rafiki X to navigate their careers. rafikigen.ai

@MustapherSaeed @ITU @AIforGood Thank you man

@ITU @AIforGood Cc @iamkayfactor

⏳Apply now to pitch AI-powered solutions addressing challenges in the education sector! Application deadline: 27 February Pitching session: 17 March Grow and scale at the #AIforGood Innovation Factory aiforgood.itu.int/event/meet-the…

I was having a conversation with a young woman in the train on my trip from Birmingham to Edinburgh about career. Somehow, the conversation led to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and I asked, "Do you love AI?" She replied I hate AI. I hate it so much. I love to learn from strangers most of the time, and the response piqued my curiosity immediately. I asked, "Why did you hate AI?" and she spoke about the danger of deepfakes (creating a fake output using AI for terrible reasons, e.g., defrauding people or spreading fake news). You can think about many bad things humans will commit with a tool in their hands. Then I asked, so you mean, AI isn't good at all? Then this time the response changed, she shared with me how one of her teachers who is her favorite one uses AI to prepare their lesson plan and how that teacher had more time for them for classroom discussion and she also alluded that they are some things that she has found answers to quickly and thought more about because she had the tool but she cannot just bare deep fake. Then we went back and forth, and I spoke about bad actors creating bad AI, or people using AI badly. That AI isn't the problem, it is the people and when AI becomes the problem (super smart and could cause chaos), the people laid the foundation for it. Then somehow, I spoke about Rafikigen.ai and how it helps people connect the dots in their career journey, and helps with CV’s interview prep etc and how I have actually enjoyed building an AI solution for good. More so, how it democratises access for those in underserved and displaced communities through the WhatsApp version. She was like if that is AI, then I would use that and that is good. It then dawned on me that people aren't scared of AI, they are scared of the danger it would cause. They are scared of the misuse of AI, they are scared of capitalist driven by profit only. This is what people are scared of, and It made me reflect on ethical AI. That maybe ethical AI is creating AI for social good and AI that advances our common humanity because you have to think about people first before your product. Imagine if AI learns how to be really good at doing good, maybe we would not be that scared but in a world where AI is really good at doing bad things, we need to be scared especially as the money mongers race towards reaching Artificial Super Intelligence (this is when AI supercedes human intelligence and is self aware and could do something beyond human reasoning e.g., creating new medicine in minutes that may have needed years of research to do so. So in a world where it seems the world could be doomed or super great with AI, I am glad I am contributing to the latter.

On a different note: One of the things I made sure I did back in Nigeria was to share every scholarship opportunity I found with my close friends because I knew the UK won’t be fun without them. In 2019, @iamkayfactor and I travelled to Abuja for the Federal Scholarship Board interview for the Commonwealth Scholarship. It was one of the toughest experiences we’d faced in our search for scholarship but we kept applying and encouraging each other. By 2020, KFactor secured both the Chevening and Mastercard Scholarships (went for this) while I got the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. Today, most of my friends are now abroad carrying out research and working across different countries. As you invest in yourself, do well to encourage (if possible drag) your friends too. One day, you’ll look around in a new country and realise that the real blessing wasn’t just travelling abroad, but having a community of long-term friends to share the experience with.

Rafiki X (rafikigen.ai) already has 400 users in two weeks and one more country joined the party, “Algeria” so the 14th country in two weeks. For context, Rafiki X is the web extension of Rafiki AI, a generative AI career advisor and counsellor for young people and professionals finding meaningful work. Whilst our WhatsApp-based version continues to offer career counselling support to underserved and displaced young people. In just two weeks of using Rafiki X myself. I would love to share some use cases, especially for young professionals looking to gain an edge in their careers in the 21st century. 1. Do not just use it as a guest user, sign up, and on the left side of your screen, find my resume and upload your updated one (pdf). Your uploaded CV helps you get tailored advice and helps Rafiki know where you are currently, without any initial back-and-forth. 2. A quick win is to ask Rafiki for a quick CV review and you instantly get a quick feedback, with scores on each session of your CV. It tells you the strength and how it can be better and suggests a new CV that you can copy and edit. 3. If you are applying for a job. Once you upload the job description or give a context about the job, it can recreate a CV that aligns with that role. So the time you spend tailoring your CV is reduced which means you can apply for as many jobs as you can. I once read an article that states 80% of people who rework their CV or engage a coach to tailor their CV get an interview. 4. If you land a role, you can use the interview prep function. Again your CV will come in handy here. 5. You can tell Rafiki to use your uploaded CV to create a personal website for you. You can use this prompt “I am not a developer, can you use my CV to come up with a no-code tool, simple to use website” It is going to write up how you can create that using a no-code tool. I am still figuring out multiple ways to use it myself. Join me in exploring it even further. Try Rafikigen.ai and let me know what you think. Rafiki X is an initiative of Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative- KLCI

Are you a @YALINetwork, @ALAcademy, @Anzishaprize , or Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni? If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or in the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey, the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Alumni Start-ups in Transition program (FAST) can provide funding and access to business development training to support your venture. 📌Applications open Friday, February 20, 2026. Learn more here: ow.ly/pAn850Yi5kz