Graduates’ Entrepreneurship Programme: A Proper Framework for National Economic Development in Nigeria

Abstract

The numbers of persons graduating from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are on the increase and exacerbating the unemployment problem in Nigeria, while employment generation has not kept pace with the signals from the labour market. Presently about 300,0000 graduates annually from HEIs and are mobilised into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The labour market consequently tilts in excess to the supply side than to the demand side. In view of the saturation in the job seekers in search of paid employment, self-paid employment or entrepreneurship remains a very table tool to engage the HEIs graduates. This will ensure national development The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had last June declared that about 29 million Nigerians are unemployed. In view of the level of unemployment among graduates and the ‘employability’ of the graduates, scratching the surface of our educational malaise is not acceptable. The expectation is that the relevant views and propositions on practical solutions on how to revamp the education systems to potentially complement national development strategies through a simultaneous response to skills gaps in the economy, particularly in entrepreneurship. To this end, the paper employs a content analysis approach to probe into the relevance of entrepreneurship in enhancing the self-employment of graduates and non-graduates alike as a means of curtailing unemployment and enhancing national economic development. The study deduced that graduate entrepreneurship education is important to national development as it enhances economic growth through the gained adequate knowledge, ideas, skills and motivation. The study, therefore, recommended that all educational agencies at various levels must collaborate to ensure the implementation of entrepreneurship education for accelerated economic development.