This is the full curriculum for the AI Safety Pathways Exploration Programme. Five weeks of structured, annotated learning designed specifically for Nigerian and African students who are ready to take AI safety seriously and find out exactly where they belong in it.
The APEx curriculum does not assume you already know what AI safety is or which part of it you belong in. It is designed to take you from a motivated but uncertain starting point to a concrete, honest personal pathway plan over four structured weeks. Each week builds on the last, with assigned readings, reflection exercises, and facilitated discussion.
Resources draw from 80,000 Hours, BlueDot Impact, LessWrong, the EA Forum, the AI Alignment Forum, Successif, MATS, Apart Research, and primary academic and policy sources. The framing is always specific to Nigeria, Africa, and what it actually means to contribute to this field from here.
Week 0 is optional — designed for participants with little or no prior AI knowledge who want to build a foundation before Week 1. If you already understand AI concepts, jump straight to Week 1.
Each week has required pre-session readings. The facilitated discussion assumes you have done the reading. Recommended readings are for participants going deeper into a specific pathway.
Reflection exercises and skill audits are how you build your Personal Pathway Plan, the main deliverable you leave the programme with. Take them seriously.
Each week links to a Google Doc. Access is granted to enrolled participants. If a link prompts you to request access, apply to the current APEx cohort first.
Each card links to the full week document. Access is managed per cohort.
A foundation-building module for participants with little or no prior knowledge of AI or AI safety. Covers the basics you need before Week 1 begins. If you already have a working understanding of AI, skip this and join from Week 1.
Map the full AI safety landscape: technical alignment, governance, and the representation gaps that make this conversation urgent in Nigeria and across Africa. Correct your mental model before building on it.
Explore the full range of ways to contribute to AI safety: technical research, governance and policy, responsible AI in industry, field-building, communications, and strategy. Start narrowing down where you actually belong.
This is where exploration becomes direction. Complete a guided skill audit, work through your values and impact reflection, and build your Personal Pathway Plan: the concrete document you leave the programme with.
Present your Personal Pathway Plan, receive structured feedback from the cohort and facilitators, and connect with mentors. Top performers receive referrals to fellowships, organisations, and research collaboration opportunities.