The British Council has expressed concern over the rising unemployment rate among Nigerian university graduates, revealing that almost 80 percent of graduates are unable to secure jobs due to inadequate practical skills and limited industry exposure within the higher education system.
The concern was raised during a visit by officials of the British Council Nigeria to the National Universities Commission in Abuja, where the organisation officially presented an Entrepreneurship Toolkit aimed at improving entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities.
Leading the delegation, the Director of Programmes at the British Council, Mr. Chikodi Onyemerela, explained that the toolkit was developed after extensive research carried out across selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. According to him, the initiative is intended to support the integration of practical entrepreneurship training into university education nationwide.
Onyemerela described the NUC as a key partner in driving reforms within Nigeria’s higher education sector and praised the commission’s ongoing curriculum review efforts and institutional reforms, noting that they align with the British Council’s educational objectives.
He stressed that entrepreneurship education should no longer be viewed as an optional course but as an essential strategy for addressing unemployment and underemployment in the country.
According to him, entrepreneurship must be embedded into teaching, collaborative learning, and research activities with emphasis on creating practical and market-driven solutions capable of impacting society positively.
He further disclosed that the British Council collaborated with Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) and De Montfort University to develop a framework adaptable across Nigerian universities.
Speaking during the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, welcomed the initiative and described the British Council as a dependable partner in educational advancement.
Ribadu noted that entrepreneurship studies have already been included in the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) as a compulsory course for students in Nigerian universities.
He added that entrepreneurship has now evolved into a full academic discipline and is increasingly becoming one of the most sought-after fields alongside Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
The NUC boss assured the British Council delegation that the commission would thoroughly examine the toolkit and identify areas where it could strengthen entrepreneurship education across universities.
During a presentation titled “Enhancing Entrepreneurship Education in Nigerian Higher Education Institutions,” the British Council Nigeria’s Head of Higher Education, Mr. Daniel Emenahor, emphasised the urgency of equipping young Nigerians with entrepreneurial skills.
He stated that by 2030, African youths are expected to account for about 42 percent of the world’s youth population, while over 70 percent of Nigeria’s more than 200 million citizens are currently below the age of 30.
According to Emenahor, this growing youthful population presents huge economic opportunities if properly harnessed through entrepreneurship and innovation.
He explained that despite a 2004 government directive mandating universities to establish Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs), implementation has remained weak in many institutions and has largely focused on theory rather than practical enterprise development.
He identified poor funding, weak mentorship systems, inadequate industry exposure, and poor collaboration between universities and industries as some of the major challenges affecting entrepreneurship education in Nigeria.
To tackle these issues, Emenahor said the British Council introduced the Enhancing Entrepreneurship Education in Nigerian Higher Education Institutions Programme, which focuses on building institutional capacity and encouraging enterprise development among students.
According to him, the programme consists of six major areas, including stakeholder engagement, capacity-building workshops, train-the-trainer programmes, assessment of Entrepreneurship Development Centres, a national entrepreneurship forum, and the adoption of a unified framework across institutions.
He added that the toolkit is built around the SEPPII Framework, an evidence-based model aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in higher institutions.
The framework focuses on six pillars: Strategy, Environment, Pedagogy, Partnerships, Implementation, and Impact.
Emenahor stated that the overall objective is to equip Nigerian students with practical entrepreneurial skills, innovation opportunities, and the right mindset needed to establish sustainable businesses and contribute to national development.
During the interactive session, Professor Ribadu also raised concerns about inadequate infrastructure, weak implementation frameworks, and the need for measurable outcomes to ensure entrepreneurship programmes produce real societal impact.
Also speaking, Director of the NUC Directorate of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Esther Mmeka, commended the British Council for the initiative and disclosed that the commission is already implementing reforms aimed at bridging the gap between theoretical learning and practical experience.
She explained that ongoing reforms to the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) and stronger collaborations between universities and industries are part of efforts to improve students’ practical exposure.
Mmeka further stated that the commission is working towards commercialising research outputs from Nigerian universities, while current evaluations of Entrepreneurship Development Centres are helping to identify critical gaps requiring urgent attention.
