FUNAAB Moves to Institutionalise ICSS Entrepreneurship Modules

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has unveiled plans to integrate the Inspire-Create-Start-Scale (ICSS) entrepreneurship modules into its curriculum as part of efforts to strengthen innovation and enterprise development.

The move was affirmed on September 15, 2025, during the opening of a four-day ICSS Train-the-Trainers Workshop at the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS). The training was facilitated by GOPA Worldwide Consultants GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, with the support of the German Development Agency (GIZ). The programme was designed to equip selected facilitators and coaches with skills to embed ICSS modules into teaching and practical application across the University.

Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Olukayode Akinyemi, commended GIZ and GOPA for their support. He explained that discussions on ICSS had reached the institutionalisation stage and assured that the initiative would empower students with practical skills to drive innovation and contribute to economic growth. He further appealed to GOPA to expand opportunities for free training of trainers and coaches to deepen FUNAAB’s entrepreneurial partnerships.

In his remarks, GOPA Team Lead, Mr. Peik Bruhns, described the training as a vital platform for enterprise development, praising FUNAAB as a leading institution in entrepreneurship studies and one of only two ICSS and MSME Development Ecosystem partners in Ogun State. He noted that the participants represented the final group to benefit from free ICSS training under the current programme.

The Dean, College of Biosciences (COLBIOS) and FUNAAB’s ICSS Technical Coordinator, Prof. Iyabode Kehinde, urged participants to remain committed, assuring them of ICSS-FUNAAB’s readiness to expand entrepreneurial skills within the University. Similarly, the Director of CENTS, Prof. Emily Ayo-John, lauded the collaboration with GOPA, stressing that the training would nurture a sustainable entrepreneurial culture and provide an enabling environment for MSMEs to thrive.

In a goodwill message, the Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dr. Olabisi Baiyewu, expressed optimism that the workshop would inspire transformative approaches to entrepreneurship education and enterprise development.

With the institutionalisation of ICSS entrepreneurship modules, FUNAAB has reinforced its role as a driver of innovation, enterprise, and MSME growth in Ogun State and beyond.