Mariam Abeeb
The Federal Government has launched the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification (EIBIC) for 14 universities across the country .
programme aims to transform Nigerian students from job seekers into job creators and driving innovation-led economic growth.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who unveiled the programme in Abuja on Friday, explained that this is aimed to transform Nigerian students from job seekers into job creators and driving innovation-led economic growth.
Alausa said the initiative marked a major shift in Nigeria’s education system toward entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise development.
Alausa described the programme as a strategic response to evolving global realities where technology continues to reshape industries and traditional employment opportunities decline.
“Today marks not just the launch of a programme, but the beginning of a new paradigm in Nigeria’s education system.
This programme will shift our young people from passive learners to active innovators and from graduates to nation builders,” he said.
He commended universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC), TETFund, industry partners and directors of entrepreneurship centres for supporting the initiative.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s youthful population remains both a major asset and responsibility, stressing that conventional academic models alone could no longer address unemployment and employability challenges.
He explained that EIBIC was designed to embed entrepreneurship training across disciplines including engineering, medicine, law, sciences and the creative arts.
Under the programme, students would acquire practical skills in innovation, business planning, financial literacy and venture development while still in school.
“EIBIC enables students to convert knowledge, talent and passion into viable enterprises even before graduation,” he said.
Alausa noted that the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Ministry of Education’s reform framework under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
He added that the initiative would strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM) education, promote skills acquisition, enhance industry-academia collaboration and position education as a driver of economic growth.
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