After twelve attempts over five years, founder of the Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative and the Skill2Rural Bootcamp, Hammed Kayode Alabi, has been named one of five recipients of the highly competitive ImpactAI scholarship, sponsored by the Brandtech Group.
This scholarship allowed Hammed to attend the One Young World Summit in Montreal, Canada.
Alabi, the only Nigerian and African among the five selected scholars, will receive mentorship on leveraging Generative AI to enhance the impact of his work. His selection recognises his leadership in founding the Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative and the Skill2Rural Bootcamp, programmes that combine online resources with immersive skills-based boot camps. These initiatives have empowered over 8,500 underserved and displaced young people across Nigeria and Africa, equipping them with essential life and 21st-century skills to prepare for the workforce and the future of work.
This is coming shortly after Alabi launched Skill2Rural.Org, an edtech platform and web courseware designed to provide young people in underserved communities with access to transferable life skills vital for success in the 21st century. In just one month since its launch, the platform has attracted over 250 users.
Through support from the Brandtech Group and his participation at the One Young World Summit, Alabi plans to develop an AI-powered interactive chatbot. This tool will guide young people in exploring potential career paths and generating personalised career plans through generative AI. The platform will also integrate AI-assisted learning and offer multilingual support, allowing users to choose from various local languages.
Skill2Rural.Org was showcased by the Brandtech Group as a prime example of how generative AI can increase access to learning materials and educational resources while scaling impact for broader communities.
As a One Young World delegate, Alabi was invited to an exclusive, invite-only mentoring session with Jurriaan Middelhoff, a diplomat and the current Ambassador for Youth, Education, and Employment at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the summit, Alabi was joined by four other ImpactAI scholars: Joshua Wintersgill, Founder of easyTravelseat.com and ableMove UK; Rebecca Daniel, Director of The Marine Diaries; Hikaru Hayakawa, Executive Director of Climate Cardinals and Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, Founder and Chief Future Officer of Build Initiative Foundation.
During this session, Alabi shared insights from his work in the education and edtech sectors, providing practical ideas for reimagining education for underserved and displaced youths.