NUC, TETFund Drive Entrepreneurship Education Reform as AE-FUNAI Trains Academic Staff on Effectuation

In line with its commitment to fostering innovation, employability, and entrepreneurial capacity among graduates, The National Universities Commission (NUC), with the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFUND) and Garthee Enterprise Trust Limited, (GETrust), has organized a 3-day intensive training programme on “Teaching Entrepreneurship Using Effectuation” for academic staff of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AEFUNAI), Ebonyi State.

The programme explores contemporary pedagogical approaches to entrepreneurship education, with emphasis on teaching non-business students and integrating the globally acclaimed “Effectuation” methodology into classroom practice, geared towards equipping lecturers with innovative pedagogical approaches for developing entrepreneurial mindsets among students.

The training held at the University's E-Library from July 13 to 15, 2026, forms part of ongoing efforts by the National Universities Commission to reposition entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities from a predominantly theoretical discipline to a practical, innovation-driven and solution-oriented field capable of producing job creators rather than job seekers.

Declaring the training open, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Daniel Nwachukwu, represented by the Director of Academic Planning, Professor Amobi Ekwe said the training comes at a critical time when universities are expected not only to impart knowledge but also to equip students with the skills, mindset, and competences required to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and competitive world, stressing that entrepreneurship education has become a vital tool for fostering innovation, creativity, resilience, and self-reliance.

He described the programme as timely and strategic in addressing Nigeria's growing unemployment challenge and the need for universities to produce graduates equipped with entrepreneurial competencies.

He noted that entrepreneurship education has become an indispensable component of higher education globally; stressing that university must go beyond traditional classroom instructions to cultivate creativity, innovation, resilience and problem-solving skills among students.

While commending the NUC, TETFund and GETrust for initiating the programme, the Vice-Chancellor urged participants to take full advantage of the training by actively engaging with facilitators and adopting innovative teaching methodologies that would inspire students to identify opportunities, create value and contribute meaningfully to national development.

He also recognized the strategic importance of the programme in advancing the University’s commitment to quality teaching, and successful implementation of the entrepreneurship components of the CCMAS, noting that the introduction of entrepreneurship studies across disciplines represents a deliberate effort to ensure that graduates possess not only academic knowledge but also practical competencies required in a dynamic global economy.

He added that the programme would help lecturers understand modern approaches to entrepreneurship instruction and assessment, particularly for students whose primary disciplines are outside business and management studies.

Speaking during the programme, the Director Centre for Entrepreneurship and Employability, Prof. Emmanuel Nweze stressed the need for a paradigm shift in the teaching of entrepreneurship, noting that entrepreneurship should be viewed as a process of developing attitudes, behaviors and competencies that enable individuals to recognize opportunities and create solutions to societal problems.

The training sessions featured, Professor, Nasir Abdullahi and Dr. M. I Aminu, who explained that students from disciplines such as engineering, agriculture, medicine, education, humanities and the natural sciences often possess technical expertise but may lack entrepreneurial awareness but, the training affords lecturers the opportunity to design learning experiences that connect entrepreneurial concepts to students' respective disciplines.

Highlighting the Key pedagogical strategies to include: Experiential learning; project-based instruction; case studies and simulations; problem-solving exercises; industry engagement; mentorship programmes; reflective learning practices; and collaborative innovation projects.

He maintained that effective entrepreneurship teaching requires lecturers to serve as facilitators of learning rather than mere transmitters of knowledge.

Professor Aminu further pointed out the Core Effectuation Principles to include; Bird-in-Hand, Affordable Loss, Crazy Quilt, Lemonade and Plot in the Plane Principles as principles when integrated into classroom would help students develop entrepreneurial confidence, adaptability and resilience.

The training concluded with an interactive quiz session that encouraged active participation, reinforced key concepts of entrepreneurship and effectuation, and provided participants with an opportunity to assess their understanding of the lessons learned.