The Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo, has said that it is committed to its vision of producing highly skilled graduates through Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition and Employability training.
The Vice Chancellor of the Nigeria’s premier private university, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said this on Thursday in Okada.
He spoke at the exhibition of products made by the university students to close the training, organised by Sir (Dr) David Osunde Centre For Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition of the university.
Ezemonye said that the university was proud to have championed a higher education revolution in Nigeria through innovation, entrepreneurship, bespoke research, in tandem with its motto of knowledge and excellence.
According to the vice chancellor, the vocational and entrepreneurial skills will make the graduates of the institution stand on their own anywhere in the world.
“It is noteworthy that Igbinedion University pioneered entrepreneurial skills acquisition as a course in the Nigerian University System before the National Universities Commission made it compulsory in all the universities.
“It is therefore heartwarming that the Federal and State Governments, including the NUC, have accorded priority attention to this initiative because of the huge potentials that entrepreneurial skills acquisition holds for the future of the youths,” he said.
Ezemonye said that the university engaged all its 300 level students across the Colleges on Entrepreneurial Studies, as practical and final phase for the foundational course – EPS 211, they offered in 200.
He said that the training was packaged and deliberately articulated towards psychologically preparing the students to become future-ready graduates through gainful engagements after life in the Ivory Tower.
He said that the 21st Century came with many challenges, adding that disruptive technology and communications were some of the most advanced developments in the century and to cope with these advancements required mastering of entrepreneurial skills.
“Furthermore, entrepreneurship is important for the overall economic growth of a country.
“It generates wealth and develops the community as a whole.
“At the individual level, entrepreneurship provides opportunities for networking among students from diverse backgrounds, colleges and departments, developing problem-solving, innovative and creative skills, which are the keys to the future.
“Other benefits include building self-confidence and leadership qualities, among others.
“These, amongst others, are what these students are going to be exposed to in the next four months, working in synergy and groups.
In a lecture, “Leveraging Digital Technologies to Realize Your Entrepreneurial Dream”, Prof. Oladunni Daramola of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said that digital technology was the main vectors of innovative business management.
Daramola said that it has a profound impact on entrepreneurship, providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and grow new businesses, reach customers and streamline operations.
According to her, entrepreneurship is very important for developing countries, like Nigeria, where poverty and unemployment remained major issues.
“The National Bureau of Statistics has declared that SMEs make up more than 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria and employs over 70 per cent of the country’s workforce.
“Entrepreneurship, therefore, plays a critical role in reducing unemployment and poverty in Nigeria, while entrepreneurship also promotes innovation and economic growth,” Daramola said
