ISSN 2360-7963
Abstract
Entrepreneurship education is increasingly recognised as a vital strategy for addressing youth unemployment and fostering economic diversification in Nigeria. This study evaluates the design of entrepreneurship curricula in Nigerian universities and examines their alignment with industry needs, alongside the role of institutional support in shaping students’ entrepreneurial aspirations. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 320 respondents across ten universities comprising students, faculty, and administrators using structured questionnaires and interviews. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and paired t-tests were employed to analyse curriculum indicators, institutional support mechanisms, and entrepreneurial intent. Findings reveal that while most curricula demonstrate high relevance, gaps persist in comprehensiveness and industry alignment, with many programmes lacking practical exposure to real-world business challenges. Institutional support emerged as a significant determinant of entrepreneurial aspirations, with regression results (R² = 0.591, p = 0.010) confirming a strong positive relationship between mentorship, funding opportunities, administrative backing, and students’ entrepreneurial intent. Furthermore, a pre-test/post-test analysis showed an 18.2% increase in entrepreneurial intent after students completed entrepreneurship courses, illustrating the transformative effects of structured entrepreneurial education. The study concludes that Nigerian universities must deliberately reform entrepreneurship curricula to integrate experiential learning, digital innovation, and sector-specific realities, while expanding institutional support systems to sustain students’ entrepreneurial drives.
Keywords: Curriculum Design Entrepreneurship education, Industrial Needs