The definition

What Fikra API is, exactly.

Fikra API is an OpenAI-compatible inference account that an agent can open, fund, quote, use, and audit without a human in the loop. It routes to a small set of pinned third-party models, prices each call before it runs, accepts payment by prepaid wallet or x402, and exposes the same account to humans through a normal API key. Fikra does not train models or own GPUs.

OpenAI-compatiblePrepaid walletx402MCPA2APinned builds

One sentence

Inference your agent can open, fund, quote, and audit.

The job it does

Fikra handles the decisions around an inference call: which model, what it will cost, who authorized it, whether it fits the balance, what actually ran, and what data was retained. The model itself belongs to someone else. Fikra sells access, billing, identity and audit.

What we are best at

The most controllable and auditable way for an agent to buy inference: quote before the call, pay by prepaid key or x402, call over OpenAI, MCP or A2A, and check every public fact against a machine-readable registry.

Read the methodology ->

What it is not

  • an AI lab
  • a GPU cloud
  • a model hub
  • a global model marketplace
  • an enterprise governance platform
  • an Africa-only product
  • a provider of a contractual SLA on the self-serve plan
  • a SOC 2 certified operator

Who it is for

Agent builders and operators, and developers who want a stable OpenAI-compatible endpoint for a small set of pinned open models.

What it costs

$0.5 signup credit. Top up from $1.0. Prices are published per model. New accounts are prepaid. Existing subscriptions are honored.

Live pricing ->

Proof

Where the claims live.

Prices

The same registry answers the website and the API.

/v1/models ->

Limits

30 RPM unpaid, 3,000 RPM paid. Enforced in code.

Limits ->

Retention

What is stored, for how long, and what varies by upstream.

Trust centre ->

Changes

Dated changes, including retired claims.

Changelog ->
FAQ

The short answers.

Does Fikra train its own models?

No. Fikra routes to third-party models and does not own the weights or the GPUs. Fikra-prefixed IDs are stable aliases, not house models.

Can an agent use it without a human?

Yes, for the live agent surfaces: account creation, scoped token, quote, x402 chat and embeddings, MCP and A2A. The human can claim the account later.

Is it OpenAI-compatible?

Yes. Point the OpenAI SDK at https://api.fikraapi.co.ke/v1 and use a Fikra key.

Do you have an SLA?

No contractual SLA on the self-serve plan. Status and incidents are published. Enterprise terms are separate.

Are subscriptions gone?

New accounts are prepaid. Existing subscriptions remain active and are honored. Public pricing does not sell a new subscription.