By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

ABUJA — The Vice Chancellor of Nile University of Nigeria, Prof. Dilli Dogo, has called for a radical transformation of Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, warning that millions of young Nigerians will remain trapped in unemployment unless government and stakeholders deliberately create conditions that allow entrepreneurship to thrive.

Prof. Dogo spoke on Thursday on the sidelines of the university’s 7th Inaugural Lecture titled, “Entrepreneurship as a Development Architecture: The Lamino Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Achievement Process (LEEAP) for Emerging Economies,” delivered by Prof. Hauwa Lamino Abubakar.

The Vice Chancellor described unemployment and weak entrepreneurial support structures as some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, stressing that Nigeria must urgently embrace an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem capable of empowering youths through job creation and self-reliance.

“It is good that we are talking about issues that concern our nation , issues of unemployment, issues of entrepreneurship, and the need to have an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem,” he said.

According to him, inclusiveness means ensuring that every Nigerian with entrepreneurial ambitions has access to opportunities, support systems and enabling structures necessary for success.

“We have listened carefully to the enablers and also to the limitations. The limitations are real. 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, it will remain a big hurdle for the youth and entrepreneurs everywhere,” Dogo stated.

He emphasized that entrepreneurship cannot flourish in isolation without deliberate policy support, accessible financing, infrastructure, and strategic collaboration among stakeholders.

The Vice Chancellor urged government at all levels, policymakers, financial institutions and the private sector to work collectively toward dismantling barriers stifling entrepreneurial growth.

“All the enablers, including the government creating the necessary environment for entrepreneurs to thrive, access to financing, networking opportunities and infrastructure — must be put in place.

“We must work as a country to ensure that all those aspects limiting entrepreneurship are addressed so that we can have a thriving community of entrepreneurs in Nigeria,” he said.

Dogo praised the inaugural lecturer for presenting what he described as a practical roadmap for economic transformation through entrepreneurship.

“The lecture carefully spelled out how we can have an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem. I want to thank Professor Hauwa for bringing our attention to what we should do and for giving necessary recommendations to policymakers, the public service and industry players to come together and create an enabling entrepreneurship ecosystem,” he added.

Earlier,in her lecture, Prof. Hauwa Lamino Abubakar,a Professor of Management, unveiled the Lamino Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Achievement Process (LEEAP) framework, which she said was developed after years of research, observation and direct engagement with young entrepreneurs.

She lamented that Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem remains fragmented, poorly coordinated and unable to effectively support aspiring business owners.

“What I realized is that we have a fragmented system when it comes to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“There is a lack of proper coordination among critical components such as access to finance, market conditions and infrastructure,” she explained.

According to her, although entrepreneurship discussions in Nigeria often focus on mindset development, many young entrepreneurs still fail because the broader ecosystem lacks institutional support and enabling policies.

She argued that entrepreneurship education must begin from the foundational stages of learning rather than being restricted to tertiary institutions.

“Right now, entrepreneurship education starts and stops at the university level through GST courses. But entrepreneurs are not built mindfully because they were not taught from an early age and do not have the proper orientation,” she said.

Prof. Abubakar proposed a three-stage developmental model beginning from primary school, where children would be taught entrepreneurial attitudes and values; followed by secondary school education focused on business knowledge and managerial skills; and finally tertiary education centered on practical business development and enterprise management.

“The foundation stage focuses on human capital development. Government needs to provide policies that make entrepreneurship-oriented curriculum compulsory from the primary school level because attitudes are formed early,” she noted.

She further called for the establishment of a national coordinating agency that would harmonize entrepreneurship policies, monitor performance indicators and ensure systematic collaboration among government institutions, educational bodies and the private sector.

“At the end of this lecture, I proposed a call for action whereby there should be a coordinating unit or agency that ensures systematic coordination and alignment of all stages of the entrepreneurship ecosystem,” she said.

The professor maintained that such coordination would strengthen support for emerging entrepreneurs, improve monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and ultimately enhance economic productivity and job creation across the country.

The inaugural lecture drew academics, policymakers, industry leaders and students, many of whom described the recommendations as timely amid rising unemployment and growing economic uncertainty in Nigeria.