Entrepreneurship Education In Nigeria: Crawford’s Shining Example

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Crawford University

Entrepreneurship Education In Nigeria: Crawford’s Shining Example

Crawford University is one of Nigeria’s higher institutions of learning that keyed into the vision of raising future leaders through entrepreneurship. Recently, make it visited the institution to assess the impact the school is making on its students through its entrepreneurship training programme.

Entrepreneurship has been adjudged the biggest ticket to solving Nigeria’s myriad of economic woes. But without adequate training of the people who will serve as the catalyst to maximise the opportunities that entrepreneurship offers, the benefits may as well be ephemeral.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) approved the integration of a comprehensive end-to-end entrepreneurship curriculum in the nation’s university academic calendar in 2014.

This step is expected to help undergraduates acquire vital entrepreneurial know how, regardless of specialisation or discipline, towards promoting a sustainable entrepreneurial development in the country.

Armed with this vision, Crawford University stops at nothing to equip its students with quality entrepreneurship education.

A trip to Crawford

It was a long bumpy ride to Crawford University in Lusada, Ogun State. From a distance, we could see the cyan coloured walls of the faith based university. A kind staff drove us to the annex, few feet away from the institution’s entrepreneurship centre, giving us time to admire the university’s well framed structures.

The Entrepreneurship Centre is at the east wing of the school. The hall has been partitioned into cubicles. Each cubicle is used for an entrepreneurship programme.

The Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre, Dr. Michael Adigun, said the university offers over 18 skilled based programmes, from which each student is expected to select one skill. He said the training is only for year three students and runs for a semester.

According to Adigun, the training is part of Crawford’s efforts to instil the entrepreneurial mindset in the students.

“Entrepreneurship as a career choice is not for everyone, but, it is imperative that everybody should learn to think like an entrepreneur. Crawford University is rooted in entrepreneurship and continually strives to empower her students with an entrepreneurial outlook”, he said.

For a minimum of two hours from 2 pm every Thursday and Friday, the 300 level students are trained by facilitators on their preferred skills at the centre. These facilitators take them through the rudiments of their chosen businesses, including the benefits and risks.

The training programmes include bag making, shoe making, adire (Tye and Dye), bead making and gele arts, hair styling, tailoring, music, water production, soap making, baking and confectionery, event planning, etc. Facilitators are enlisted from within and outside the campus.

One of the facilitators, CEO, Peals and Pedals Kulture, Mrs. Opeoluwa Imadonmwiyi, trains the students on how to make bags. Being an alumnus of the institution, and a beneficiary of the scheme, she is happy to impact the lives of the students via the entrepreneurship training. During her chat with make it, she said she had been able to earn a living from the trade.

“I make all kinds of bags from ankara to souvenir bags and purses, and I can tell that it is a profitable venture. In a month, with other things being equal, I make no less than N50,000 in profit”, she said.

She said the training was going to be beneficial to the students, especially as the nation was currently tackling unemployment challenges.

Another facilitator, Mrs. Adebimpe-Adetutu Owolabi who takes the soap making class, also lauded the initiative of the school.

She noted that the initiative was already helping many students who had started small businesses within the school premises. She added that the classes were also designed to teach the students on certain virtues such as patience and perseverance as entrepreneurship was not an easy feat.

At the Centre, students’ practical project works are permanently arranged for display on the shelves. During the school’s convocation, the products are exhibited and auctioned.

Crawford entrepreneurship blueprint
The school’s entrepreneurship programme has been in existence for the last seven years, an official, Mrs. Ruth Oguntuwase said. And for the institution, the task of instilling the entrepreneurial spirit starts from the foundation years. “All 100 and 200 Level students undergo the theoretical aspect of the training by focusing on the general practice of entrepreneurship. At 300 Level, students go through a vocational training of their choice while crop farming is compulsory”, she said.

“At 400 Level, our students are certified in their chosen vocations by undergoing a pre-incubational programme in order to develop business ideas and transform the ideas into viable start-ups”, Mrs. Oguntuwase said.

Beadmaking and gele arts

Bead making and gele arts

Tailoring class students learning how to cut straight skirts using  papers

Tailoring class students learning how to cut straight skirt with paper

 

Also, beyond the classroom trainings, the school organises seminars and interactive sessions for the students. Mrs. Oguntuwase said through the seminars, alumni who are successful in various enterprises are usually invited to share their experiences in order to enlighten the students about various business opportunities.

tackling unemployment challenges.

 

Bag making session

Soap making session

Mrs. Opeoluwa Imadomnwiyi and her students

“We also have another graduate entrepreneurship forum, where we bring in resource persons who teach the students how to stand on their own, how to make money and be self-reliant. We also organise mentorship programmes for these students.”

Crawford Vegetable farm,

Crawford Vegetable farm, cultivated by 300 level students

“Some of the students now run small businesses in the school. Some make cosmetic creams, soaps, and sell to others”, she said.

Event planning and decoration

Event planning and decoration class

“During the last programme, “town meets gown”, some of the students who graduated from this school, and through the grace of God are doing well, were invited to come and speak with the students.

 

“We also have another graduate entrepreneurship forum, where we bring in resource persons who teach the students how to stand on their own, how to make money and be self-reliant. We also organise mentorship programmes for these students.”

Beadmaking and gele arts

Bead making and Gele arts

“Some of the students now run small businesses in the school. Some make cosmetic creams, soaps, and sell to others”, she said.

Baking and Confectionery

She said the school was doing its best to invest in entrepreneurship development.

Among the entrepreneurship programmes offered by the school, special attention is paid to crop farming.  Under this programme, the students are trained to cultivate vegetables.  Adigun, the  director of the Entrepreneurship Centre,  said every morning and evening, the students report to the farm to check their plants and water them. During the institution’s convocation, they sell the produce to parents and other visitors.

Students plucking out weeds from their farm beds

Adigun said that in the past seven years, the crop farming programme has been compulsory for all third year students.

Hat making

Hat making class

Music

Music class

 

“Today, we have some of our alumni who are farmers. Some are into bag making, shoe making, and they are doing well”, he added.

During an interaction with some of the students, they expressed their delight with the programme.

“The training is good. We get to learn new skills that can be useful to us tomorrow. With it, we can become self-independent and do not have to wait on our parents for everything”, said Anjorin Fulfilment, a 300 level student of Political Science.

Fulfilment Anjorin, a 300 level student of Political Science

Another student, Abolade Gbolahan, said “though the entire programme is stressful, annoying and tasking, it is worth it”.

EDC Director, Dr. Michael Adigun

Crawford EDC Director, Dr. Michael Adigun holding a cutlass

Crawford University’s mode of training its students in entrepreneurship has become a success story other institutions may wish to adopt.

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She said the school was doing its best to invest in entrepreneurship development.

Beadmaking and gele arts

Bead making and Gele arts

Baking and Confectionery

Among the entrepreneurship programmes offered by the school, special attention is paid to crop farming. Under this programme, the students are trained to cultivate vegetables.

Adigun, the director of the Entrepreneurship Centre, said every morning and evening, the students report to the farm to check their plants and water them. During the institution’s convocation, they sell the produce to parents and other visitors.

Students plucking out weeds from their farm beds

Adigun said that in the past seven years, the crop farming programme has been compulsory for all third year students.

“Today, we have some of our alumni who are farmers. Some are into bag making, shoe making, and they are doing well”, he added.

During an interaction with some of the students, they expressed their delight with the programme.

Hat making

Hat making class

Music

Music class

 

“The training is good. We get to learn new skills that can be useful to us tomorrow. With it, we can become self-independent and do not have to wait on our parents for everything”, said Anjorin Fulfilment, a 300 level student of Political Science.

Fulfilment Anjorin, a 300 level student of Political Science

Another student, Abolade Gbolahan, said “though the entire programme is stressful, annoying and tasking, it is worth it”.

EDC Director, Dr. Michael Adigun Crawford EDC Director, Dr. Michael Adigun holding a cutlass

Crawford University’s mode of training its students in entrepreneurship has become a success story other institutions may wish to adopt.



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