An evaluation of entrepreneurship education policy in Nigerian universities: impact on entrepreneurial and socio-economic development.

In 2006, the Nigerian government introduced a policy which required the delivery of entrepreneurship education to be made mandatory in all disciplines of university education, with the view to addressing issues of widespread unemployment particularly among the youth. A burgeoning youth population, which make up 70% of the country, was seen to lack the enterprise skills needed in a functioning Nigerian economy. To facilitate this objective, the government has channelled this requirement through the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE), with responsibility for higher education in general, and the National Universities Commission (NUC), which looks to universities specifically. This research contributes an understanding and critical analysis of how this policy has worked, while considering the areas of policy application which have not worked so well. To do this, the study, through qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews, has engaged with three key stakeholder groups who are involved with the policy at different levels. The first stakeholder group are the policy makers who belong to the (FMoE) and (NUC) mentioned above. The second group are the educators which include academic staff involved in the delivery of entrepreneurship education within Nigerian universities. The third group is made up of university students from various disciplines and educational levels who have benefited, or been impacted, directly from the implementation of this policy. A wealth of primary data of experiences, views and critique of the policy has been gathered across these stakeholder groups. The work is framed in an overview of entrepreneurship education in general, including the debates around the concept of entrepreneurship and insights into what is obtainable in other example nations in the sphere of entrepreneurship education, setting the broader context of the policy initiative. Focusing on the Nigerian context, its uniqueness within a developing nations' context and the sparse literature around the subject of entrepreneurship education in such developing contexts is highlighted. Attention is also drawn to the peculiarities of the Nigerian populace as a people who are found to be entrepreneurially inclined. Following a thorough review of existing theories on entrepreneurship education in Nigeria and a detailed analysis of findings, it is concluded that to achieve the objective of the policy, the following criteria need to be met: (a) expand the frontiers of the given policy to embrace a wider community of Nigerians, beyond university education alone; (b) the policy would be more attuned to become successful if its scope is extended particularly to lower education as a key foundational level; (c) the policy will be further enriched if the leadership showed a higher level of intentionality and commitment to a more effective implementation strategy and resource provision; and (d) a conscious and supported building and development of an entrepreneurial culture among Nigerians from an early age is more likely to ensure that a large population of youth are developed to have a culture of entrepreneurially mindedness. Ultimately, the policy initiative is acknowledged to be a major step in the right direction for the country, but the evidence of this study has shown that more is required, with further and broader steps needed to improve on what has been achieved for the future.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Robert Gordon University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Legunsen, Esther Oluchi

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• J. Cunningham, O. Osabajo, A. Agarwal and M. Bailey

• Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship education
• University students
• Undergraduates
• Graduate employability
• Education policy
• Nigeria

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:2989165
https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-2989165

Author Identifier

0000-0002-6689-7661

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:2989165