The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says sustained capacity building to promoting entrepreneurial skills will reposition Nigeria as a productive and development-oriented country.
Flagging off a 3-day capacity building entrepreneurship workshop for teachers in Edo State, Director General of the Agency, Dr Dikko Radda, said its School Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP) is designed to advance the development and promotion of entrepreneurship and enterprise education in the country.
Radda also said the programme is meant to build capacity of the teachers who would in turn prepare their pupils and students to become future entrepreneurs.
The SMEDAN boss, represented by the South-South Zonal Coordinator of the Agency, Mrs Linda Omubo-Pepple, said given the paradigm shift in teaching and learning, efforts must be geared towards capacity building for stakeholders in the education sector.
According to him; “It is no more go to school, get good grades and get a good job. It is now go to school, get good grades and acquire skills of being your own boss.’’
The Director General said adequate measures need to be taken to address anxiety and uncertainty among students about their future due to lack job opportunities and entrepreneurial skills required to handle demanding business ventures.
Radda said Agency’s ‘Mind Shift Entrepreneurship Programme’ (MSEP) was initiated as a project aimed at engaging students and youths to channel their energies into productive ventures.
“The entrepreneurship teachers must be an entrepreneur as you cannot give what you don’t have.’’
He explained that MSEP had three components of: Training of teachers; Exposure to selected business skills; and Post training and support. – NAN
