A Professor of Management at Nile University of Nigeria, Hauwa Lamino Abubakar has called for the introduction of compulsory entrepreneurship education at the primary school level, alongside a shift toward business and managerial skill development in secondary schools.

She also proposed the establishment of a National Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Coordination Agency to harmonise policies, strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders, support innovation-driven enterprises, and create a more structured framework for entrepreneurship development across the country.

The Don stated this at the Seventh inaugural lecture of Nile University of Nigeria in Abuja.

Delivering a lecture titled, “Entrepreneurship as a Development Architecture: The Lamino Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Achievement Process (LEEAP) for Emerging Economies,” the inaugural lecturer emphasised that entrepreneurship should be approached as a comprehensive national development framework rather than a collection of isolated initiatives.

During the lecture, Prof. Abubakar presented a framework for strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, stressing the need for improved coordination among critical sectors such as finance, market systems, infrastructure, education, and policy implementation.

She argued that entrepreneurship development must begin with deliberate investment in human capital from an early stage, particularly through the education system, in order to nurture innovation, creativity, resilience, and leadership skills among young Nigerians.

Drawing from her experience as an academic and co-founder of an initiative supporting young entrepreneurs, she lamented that many Nigerian youths lack the entrepreneurial orientation needed to succeed because they were not exposed to the right mindset early in life.

According to her, the primary school stage should focus on shaping attitudes and values through compulsory entrepreneurship-oriented curricula, while secondary schools should concentrate on equipping students with practical business and managerial knowledge before they proceed to tertiary institutions.

She further explained that by the time students get to universities and other higher institutions, the focus should no longer be on introducing entrepreneurial thinking, but on teaching them how to build, manage, and sustain businesses effectively.

“From my observation as a lecturer and Founder, I have seen how young entrepreneurs struggle because they weren’t taught from an early age. They don’t have the proper orientation.

“The foundation stage of this human capital development should start at the primary level, where attitudes are formed. What it means is that the government needs to provide policies whereby it becomes compulsory for primary schools to have a curriculum whereby it focuses on the attitudes. And then this is followed by the secondary school stage, which is the knowledge of business skills, managerial skills that will lay the foundation so that when they come to the tertiary they are not learning entrepreneurial mindset. They are being taught how to actually run a business. And this now prepares their minds. So this is what we need to change before they finally go to the active stage where they are really prepared and ready to overcome,” she said.

Prof. Abubakar also identified major barriers confronting entrepreneurship in Nigeria, including poor infrastructure, weak institutional coordination, inadequate support systems, and limited access to finance.

She maintained that entrepreneurial success depends not only on individual effort, but also on the strength and efficiency of the wider ecosystem supporting business growth and innovation.

She said Nigeria’s economy continues to rely heavily on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), with about 39.6 million businesses contributing between 46 and 48 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounting for 84 to 88 per cent of employment countrywide.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, Nile University of Nigeria, Prof. Dilli Dogo underscored the need for an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem where everyone can participate.

Prof. Dogo highlighted the limitations that hinder entrepreneurship such as the lack of a conducive environment, access to financing, and necessary infrastructure.

The V-C stressed the need for government and other enablers to create an enabling atmosphere to remove barriers and foster a thriving community of entrepreneurs.

He said: “A lot of Nigerians want to get involved in one form of entrepreneurship or the other, but until the necessary atmosphere is created and enabled that will drive purposeful entrepreneurship, it remains a big hurdle for our youth, a big hurdle for entrepreneurs”.