The Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative (KLCI), a Nigerian nonprofit focused on youth empowerment, has been selected for the first-ever Amazon Web Services (AWS) Education Equity Initiative. As part of the programme, KLCI has received a grant of N75 million in AWS cloud credits to support the launch of its new project — Rafiki AI, a generative AI-powered career advisor tailored for underserved and displaced young people across Africa.
This innovative solution is designed to run on WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging platform across the continent, ensuring it can reach millions of young people even in areas with limited internet access. With Rafiki AI, KLCI aims to help young people create personalised career plans, no matter their background or situation.
The Chief Programme Officer at KLCI, Omolola Lipede, explained that Rafiki AI acts as a career companion to users. “Whether they are just starting out or navigating a mid-career pivot, Rafiki delivers real-time, localised, and reflective guidance that meets them where they are,” she said.
Lipede, who has tested the tool personally, described Rafiki AI as more than just a chatbot. “I have interacted with Rafiki AI firsthand, and it truly lives up to its name—‘Rafiki’ means ‘friend’ in Swahili, and that is exactly what it is: a supportive, intuitive career buddy. It helps young people reflect deeply, ask the right questions, and chart a clear path toward a fulfilling career—within minutes. This is not just a tool; it is a movement,” she added.
According to KLCI, the decision to base Rafiki AI on WhatsApp is strategic. Many young people in low-income or rural areas rely on mobile phones with basic data access, and WhatsApp remains one of the few reliable platforms that work well in such environments. By meeting young people where they are — both digitally and emotionally — Rafiki AI aims to make career planning fun, engaging, and truly accessible.
The initiative comes at a time when Africa’s youth face serious employment challenges. A recent report shows that more than one in three young Africans are either unemployed or underemployed. For many, access to structured career guidance is nonexistent or too expensive. KLCI wants to change that narrative with Rafiki AI.
A statement from the organisation explained, “This innovation comes at a time when over one in three African youth are unemployed or underemployed, and career guidance remains a luxury. The mission of KLCI is to democratise access to career development tools and help young people, especially those in vulnerable or displaced settings, design a future that works for them.”
The AWS Education Equity Initiative aims to support organisations using technology to close education and career opportunity gaps. For KLCI, this support is more than just infrastructure — it’s a green light to build a scalable, inclusive tool that could transform how millions of young Africans approach their future.
“With the backing of AWS, we are not just building technology; we are rewriting the narrative for millions of young Africans,” KLCI said in the statement. “Rafiki AI is a step toward levelling the playing field in career access and empowerment.”
KLCI has long been involved in youth development across Nigeria and West Africa, offering mentorship, career training, and leadership development programmes in schools and communities. Rafiki AI now marks a bold step into the tech space for the NGO, and many stakeholders see it as a timely intervention to bridge the gap in career guidance for disadvantaged young people.
Rafiki AI will roll out gradually, starting with pilot users in Nigeria before expanding to other African countries. Users can expect interactive features, personalised advice, and localized insights — all packed into a familiar WhatsApp conversation.
With this launch, KLCI hopes to empower a new generation of African youth to take control of their careers, regardless of their location, background, or circumstance.
