In the heart of Makoko, one of Nigeria’s largest slums, Hammed Kayode Alabi dreamed of a future far beyond his circumstances. Born into hardship and tragedy, losing his mother at the age of seven and later watching his father fall victim to unemployment, Hammed’s early life was a series of relentless challenges. But it was these very hardships, this constant battle against the odds, that ignited the fire for a deeply impactful mission.
Today, Hammed stands as a renowned social entrepreneur and a beacon of hope for thousands of young people across Africa.
“I am a product of grace and circumstance,” he says, reflecting on his journey. “Grace brought me this far, and circumstances led me to this work.”
For Hammed, the early years in Makoko were filled with both bitterness and lessons of survival. He vividly remembers his struggles, including the harsh reality of his education being interrupted for a whole academic term because of financial constraints. “I stayed out of school for an entire academic term and watched my brother stay out for a whole academic year,” he recalls. Yet, instead of succumbing to despair, these moments fueled his drive to create change.
In Hammed’s case, the transformative power of technology became apparent at a young age. When he was around 12 or 13 years old, he gained access to basic computer skills and the internet, which “allowed me to imagine a future for myself” and “opened up many opportunities” beyond his circumstances.
Despite his family’s financial constraints, his father’s decision to send him to a school with computer resources “became one of my lifelines.” Hammed’s early experiences sparked a passion for technology and its potential to drive positive change. As he reflects, “truth is, we might not be able to give a child a gadget or a pc but showing them what they can use it for and how they can do good with it could be the pathway to their breakthrough.”
This conviction fuels Hammed’s work with Skill2Rural, a platform designed to provide young people with life and 21st-century skills, bridging digital divides and empowering underserved communities.
The Power of Education
For Hammed, the foundation of his entrepreneurial journey was laid through basic education. It was within those classrooms that he learned to communicate, write, read, and think critically. “In secondary school, I used to teach accounting to my junior colleagues and started building my public speaking skills from there,” he shares. During this time he began to realize the importance of education in shaping one’s ability to meaningfully contribute to society.
His family relocated to the rural community of Igbogbo, Ikorodu and Hammed found himself working as a laborer and a teacher at a local school. “I taught literacy and numeracy to nursery school children,” he recalls. His commitment to education deepened as he later volunteered with the Nigerian Red Cross, organizing free tutorials for struggling students, an effort that would span four good years. The culmination of these experiences was his academic success—graduating as the best student in his course.
The Birth of Skill2Rural.Org
These early experiences were not just stepping stones—they were formative moments that ignited a deep-seated belief in the potential of education to transform lives, especially for the underserved and displaced young people in Africa. “Education opened doors for me, and I believe it can do the same for young people living in slums, rural areas, or displaced communities,” Hammed asserts.
His mission became clear: to democratize access to education, skills, and opportunities for those who, like him, had been denied the privileges of a conventional upbringing.
Observing the staggering statistics of youth unemployment in Africa—over 100 million underserved young people, including displaced youth and refugees—he realized the enormity of the challenge that lay ahead. “Currently, there are about 100 million underserved young people in Africa. Only 1 in 10 young people have access to the 21st-century skills needed to change their circumstances,” Hammed explains. The lack of access to skills, networks, and opportunities created a chasm that left millions of young people struggling to integrate into the workforce and overcome their difficult circumstances.
Hammed’s response was both simple and revolutionary. He created Skill2Rural.Org, a mobile courseware designed to equip young people in underserved and displaced communities across Africa with life and 21st-century skills essential for the workforce and future opportunities. The platform offers an innovative solution: young people can directly access courses on their digital devices, while educators can use the platform’s resources to reach even those without internet access.
“What if, through an immersive boot camp and their digital devices, young people could access this vital information and develop these skills?” Hammed asks. Skill2Rural.Org answers that question, offering a lifeline to those who need it most.
Overcoming Challenges and Pivoting with Purpose
Hammed’s perspective on the challenges faced by social impact initiatives was transformed after attending the University of Pennsylvania Global Social Impact House Fellowship in 2023. “I used to think funding was the biggest challenge,” he admits, but soon realized that “lack of clarity is often a bigger issue. Funding is just a symptom.”
Hammed emphasizes the importance of clarity, citing crucial questions that bring focus, such as “What is your theory of change?”, “How do you measure that?”, and “What makes you unique?” He acknowledges that despite having a strong purpose, “lack of clarity was something I grappled with,” and notes that “clarity is a journey not a destination.” Through his experience, he has learned to prioritize understanding his value proposition and exploring sustainable solutions, recognizing that “sometimes it is not all projects that are fundable.”
Despite the challenges, Skill2Rural.Org has empowered over 10,000 underserved and displaced young people in Nigeria, reaching over 50 schools across 12 states. Its flagship project, the Skill2Rural Bootcamp, created over 100 innovative solutions to community challenges, ranging from poverty to climate change. One success story stands out: the Community Tech Lab initiative, which equips young people in Idata Ilagbo—a riverine, hard-to-reach community in Lagos—with digital skills to reduce unemployment. This initiative won third prize in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association’s Beyond the School Challenge, gaining recognition and seed funding.
“With regards the impact, our in-person bootcamp or workshop reach is 10,000+ whilst that of our edtech platform currently has onboarded about 166 volunteer educators reaching 120,000+ learners or young people. With the students user on the platform about 200.”
“Many success stories continue to emerge from our work,” Hammed shares proudly. “We have reached three internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and onboarded over 10 partners to run boot camps and workshops across Africa, including at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi.”
Building Leadership and Sustainability
Through this process of learning and iterating, Hammed has refined his approach, ensuring that Skill2Rural.Org remains flexible and adaptable. “I’ve learned to pivot, but always maintain the core mission of our work,” he explains. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the organization to shift from in-person workshops to an online platform, which has since proven to be scalable and sustainable. Today, with the help of technology like Generative AI, Skill2Rural.Org is poised to offer even more personalized career support to young people across Africa.
For Hammed, leadership is the key to sustaining this momentum. He believes that the most successful businesses are those led by individuals who manage and multiply resources effectively, who know when to pivot and when to persist. “Leadership is sustainability,” he says, underscoring the role it plays in the longevity of an organization. “That’s why I believe we’ve been running for eight years now—leadership.”
A Vision for the Future of Education and Technology
Looking forward, Hammed’s work continues to focus on using education and technology to create lasting change. As a Salzburg Global Fellow, he is working on developing a Teacher Augmented System that will transform education globally by equipping educators with AI tools to improve learning outcomes. “My work primarily revolves around education,” he notes.
Hammed also serves as a Board Member at Peace First, an organization that has played a significant role in his journey. As he notes, “I previously received a mini-grant to launch Skill2Rural” from Peace First, which helped him get his initiative off the ground. Later, he was hired as the first Regional Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Peace First, where he had the opportunity to “distribute micro-grants to support social innovation projects led by young people across the region.”
With each new project and success story, Hammed Kayode Alabi’s vision grows clearer. His ultimate mission is to use education to equip the next generation of Africans with the skills they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world. “Even if we can’t give a child a gadget or a PC,” he reflects, “we can show them what they can use it for, how they can do good with it. That could be the pathway to their breakthrough.”
