MEET KAYFACTOR

Kayfactor, also known as Hammed Kayode Alabi is a Social Entrepreneur, 2x Author, SDGs Youth Champion, and Educator with 13 years of active citizenship and volunteering experience. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science Education in Human Kinetics from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, where he emerged as the Best Graduating Student, 2014/2015 set. He also completed his Masters degree in Africa and International Development at the prestigious University of Edinburgh through the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship.

His mission is to liberate as many leaders as possible, inspire communities and create leaders who will impact their generation and future generations to come through storytelling and mentoring.

Hammed had always wanted to see a world where children in rural and underserved communities can change the circumstances that they inherit and transform their society. This led him to the establishment of Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative- KLCI formerly referred to as Kayfactor Leadership and Career Academy (KLCA). A Youth-led nonprofit organization that reduces inequalities by helping underserved young people to develop life skills and forge a trajectory for their career through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Global Citizenship Education, Mentorship, and Advocacy. The initiative has engaged over 500+ Secondary School Students and 130 youths across Sub- Saharan Africa were accepted into the academy one-year online leadership and career training. 

He currently works as the Educational Mentoring Coordinator at Refugee Education (UK), where he currently manages the mentoring hub in West London and connects young refugees/asylum seekers between the ages of 14 - 25 years to mentors for educational support. He joggles this with another role as the Young Refugee Project Coordinator with the British Red Cross, where he helps young refugees and asylum seekers in London to develop life and English language skills through the Refugee and Befriending Programme.

Hammed served as a Fellow-in-Residence and Regional Manager at Peace First and led its core programs in more than 30 + Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. He currently sits on the board of the same organization. He also worked as a placement-based dissertation researcher with the Mastercard Foundation at the University of Edinburgh on creating access for refugees to access higher education through a bridging blended learning program. He transitioned into working with the Foundation as a Research Assistant to work on a research that uses photo-voice as a method to explore African Students transitions into higher education learning in the Global North. He would be presenting a paper at the teaching and learning conference at the University of Edinburgh that contributes to developing reflective communities in the university drawing insights from the photo-voice project. 

He has facilitated sessions on social innovation and change in two different continents Africa and the Middle East. He also published two books, “The Africa I Dream to See.” and “5 Years: 10 Lessons Life Taught Me"

Hammed is the founder of kayfactorinspires, an inspirational blog that uses storytelling to connect people to issues that affect them.

He is the Vice President of the Graciella Initiative for the Girl child; organizing girl child seminars and giving them a voice in Nigeria and Africa. He has been involved in sensitizing and educating girls on career and leadership development. 

Hammed was also selected to be part of the over 400 Young African Leaders that participated in the First and Second African Youth Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit in Accra, Ghana. He was a speaker and panelist in the second summit where he shared his story into the development sector and extensively spoke on Education as a basic human right issue on the Amnesty International panel. 

In the past, Hammed worked with the National Youth Corps {NYSC}, a one-year compulsory programme for all Nigerian graduates, through its platform, Hammed carried out six community development service projects to help the village (i.e, Ekpon, Edo State) where he served. focusing on Sustainable Development Goals(Good Health and Well beings(3). Quality Education(4). Clean Water and Sanitation(6)). Using SDGs as a framework, Hammed trained over 250 on First Aid and Safety Education, provided hand washers for schools and trained students on proper handwashing techniques, organized career guidance programme for secondary school students, introduces social clubs(drama, debate, and dance) and conducted a health risk assessment for the villagers. 

Hammed has volunteered as a first aid trainer and deputy commandant to carry out humanitarian services such as visitation to the motherless baby home, juvenile home, and providing them with food and clothing. He has also trained young people, adults on first aid safety education under the Jurisdiction of Nigeria Red Cross Society.

He was selected as a Youth Champion and Sustainable Development Partner to monitor the implementation of the SDGs in Africa through the Citizen Reports Initiative championed by African Monitor. He was one of the 30 young people who traveled to South Africa to participate in the 7 days Strategic Leadership and Advocacy Workshop to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and Nigeria. He engaged the office of the Senate President in Nigeria and advocated for the Sustainable Development Goals on several media platforms with at least 2 million reach. 

He is also a theplatform Young Professionals Boot Camp Fellow. He is a recipient of the Sozo - Appalachian State University (USA) Grant Writing Course Scholarship in Nigeria. He is an alumnus of Barack Obama Young African Leadership Initiative Regional Leadership Center (Online). 

He is a Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, CYFI Fellow, a program of the U.S Consulate in Lagos. Through CYFI, Hammed and other 4 young people received a group seed funding of $5000 and co-founded Teaching Edge, an initiative that empowers teachers in low-income communities with contemporary pedagogy and innovative teaching methodologies. Hammed won the U.S Consul General Award as the best fellow of the year. 

Hammed was also identified as a peacemaker by Peace First and was awarded a mini Grant to execute Skill2Rural Bootcamp, a project that orientated, empower, and supports 90 secondary school students and 10 teachers in rural communities every year on 21st-century skills (Design Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, Creativity, Problem Solving, etc) needed to integrate into the workforce and prepare them for the future of works. 

He participated in the Y20 Regional Dialogue in Lagos organized by One Champions. Helping to add young people's voice to the future of work by making policy recommendations that promote innovation in Entrepreneurship and Employability. He has also been recognized by the Nigerian Youth SDGs Network, as an SDGs Star/Champion through his work with KLCI in ensuring that young people in underserved communities develop the life skills necessary to integrate into the workforce.

He was part of the team that made it to the finals of the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Media, Information and Literacy Hackathon. He co-created Media, Information, Literacy Awareness Project (MILAP), a project that seeks to raise Media, Information, and Literacy Champions in Nigeria. 

Hammed's Essay "My Story and My Dream" won the Top 2- 7 prize out of 513 entries in the Keenista African Youth Essay Competition. He was recently awarded by Ideation Hub Africa as Africa's Talent of the Future for his work to drive the SDGs. He is a recipient of the TedX Johannesburg 100Ideas 100Millenials Activation Programme and a Princess Diana Award (United Kingdom) Mentor and International Judge. He is also the winner of the first-ever Ufahamu Africa Essay contest for his piece on the EndSARS reflecting on the role of young people in ending police brutality and contributing to development. 

Meet Hammed, meet a Million.