Skillnaija All courses →

Blueprint an AI agent for a real Nigerian small business

The capstone project for Agentic AI — a free AI & Emerging Tech course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A one-to-two page agent blueprint covering the business problem, the agent's goal, its scoped tools, its guardrails (with one traced loop), and its evaluation plan.

What to do, step by step

  1. Pick ONE real or realistic Nigerian small business (e.g. a POS agent in Kaduna, a fabric seller near Balogun Market, a provisions store, a food vendor) and name one specific, repetitive headache an AI agent could take off the owner's hands.
  2. Write the agent's GOAL in plain language — be specific enough that anyone reading it knows exactly when the agent has succeeded, and name the moments a human must step in.
  3. List the TOOLS the agent needs and nothing more. For each tool, write the sentence: 'This tool lets the agent ___, and it must NOT be able to ___.' Mark each tool as read-only or write, and scope it tightly.
  4. Describe the GUARDRAILS: which actions need human approval, what limits/stop conditions apply, how the agent honestly discloses it is an assistant, and what gets logged. Then walk through the perceive-think-act loop on ONE realistic message or task, including at least one messy edge case.
  5. Define how you will EVALUATE it: write 2-3 measurable success targets and describe the kind of test cases you would run, including at least one dangerous failure you are specifically watching for.
  6. Submit as a clear one-to-two page document (text or a shared doc link). A simple diagram of the workflow is welcome but optional.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Clear, specific goal tied to a real Nigerian business problem (not vague or generic)20%
Tools listed with tight scope and correct read/write distinction; only what the goal needs20%
Sensible guardrails: human-in-the-loop for money/irreversible actions, honest disclosure, limits, logging25%
A correctly traced perceive-think-act loop that handles at least one messy edge case20%
Measurable evaluation plan that weighs at least one dangerous failure by its consequence15%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Agentic AI before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Agentic AI is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters). You can mention a public link to supporting files in the write-up. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

More AI & Emerging Tech projects

Ready to earn this certificate?

Agentic AI is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

Start learning free