For Adama Traoré ALP ’25 , creating access it’s a commitment to rewrite what’s possible for communities often left behind.
Growing up in Bamako, Mali, Adama witnessed firsthand how limited infrastructure and opportunity can stifle potential. Yet instead of accepting those barriers, he chose to challenge them. Now a Master’s student in Project Evaluation and Management at Intec Sup and a proud alumnus of the Aspire Leaders Program, Adama is leading a movement to bring education, innovation, and connectivity directly to underserved youth and women in conflict-affected regions.
His vehicle of change? A solar-powered coworking space on wheels.
A Pod with a Purpose
The TK Hybrid Pod is more than just an innovative idea, it’s a lifeline for communities like Mopti, where basic resources like internet access and electricity remain scarce. This mobile unit brings with it a suite of tools: digital literacy workshops, entrepreneurship training, and creative technology labs, from coding basics to practical business skills.
Adama’s vision is as bold as it is grounded: create a cost-effective, scalable model that turns isolation into inclusion.
“Many young people in rural Mali have never had a chance to touch a computer or connect to global knowledge,” Adama explained. “The TK Hybrid Pod is about bringing opportunity to them, wherever they are.”
The impact is already being felt. Though the pilot phase is still underway, the project has garnered international recognition, recently winning the Overall Prize at the 2025 Next Work Environment Student Competition hosted by Work Design Magazine.
Empowerment Through Experience
Adama credits the Aspire Leaders Program with helping shape both the project and the leader behind it.
“The ALP experience taught me to lead with empathy, and to understand that resilience isn’t just about enduring, it’s about building systems that uplift others,” he shared.
Modules on authentic leadership and community engagement offered him the chance to reflect deeply and act boldly. Through Aspire, he found a global community that echoed his values and expanded his sense of what’s possible.
From One Pod to a Pan-African Movement
Today, Adama’s goals go far beyond a single mobile unit. He envisions a pan-African innovation network, a continental ecosystem of community-led solutions where young people from across Africa can collaborate, learn, and lead change from within.
To get there, he’s focused on scaling the TK Hybrid Pod model across Mali, forging partnerships with local governments, NGOs, and international funders to expand its reach and impact.
Though there are no implementation photos yet, Adama remains grounded in service, often found leading community initiatives and mentoring youth. His path reflects not just ambition, but deep-rooted dedication.
“The challenges are many,” he says. “But so are the dreams. If we can bring even a sliver of hope to a young woman in Mopti, or spark an idea in a young man who’s never had access to a computer, that’s how change begins.”
With solar panels on the roof and purpose at its core, the TK Hybrid Pod isn’t just a project. It’s a movement, rolling steadily toward a more inclusive future, one village at a time.
