News: TetFund Releases N100m for Entrepreneurship Programme in Tertiary Institutions

TETFUND - The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) Professor Sulaiman Elias Bogoro has disclosed that N100 million has been released for the establishment of entrepreneurship centers in each federal and state university across the country.

Bogoro made the disclosure at a capacity building workshop held for lecturers in the North East region on entrepreneurship development in public tertiary institutions.

At the event held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi campus, Bagoro said: "It is our belief that these centers, when fully operational, would provide the needed platform for lectures, students and members of the public to articulate appropriate strategies for growing entrepreneurship skills for national development." He stated that TetFund has approved a five-year (2014 to 2019) vision for fund to deepen its focus on academic content, quality and excellence.

Bogoro, represented by the North East zonal coordinator of TetFund, Mustapha Gutalla, said that the workshop was designed to further strengthen the delivery of entrepreneurship and training in public tertiary institutions.

He said the training will further enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of lecturers in business development skills so that they will impact better knowledge on students, using train-the-trainers approach.

He explained that entrepreneurship has become an increasingly important avenue towards accelerating economic growth in any country and is also one of the major factors considered for ranking of universities in the world. "It has become imperative that TetFund will continue to support the strengthening of entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions, and as you are aware, TetFund has been in the forefront of supporting innovative approaches to teaching and learning over the years in Nigeria."

The Chairman, Board of Trustees TetFund, Dr. Musa Babayo, represented by the Head of Procurement, Mr. Okunlola Kolapo, said: "To us, supporting entrepreneurship development in tertiary educational institutions is in line with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the vision 20,2020 which we hope will put Nigeria among the 20 biggest economies by 2020."

The chairman said TetFund believes that the introduction of entrepreneurship into tertiary institutions will change the focus and quality of graduates and the fortunes of Nigeria by giving tomorrow employers the training they need to create new business prospects.

He explained that with the theme of the workshop, strengthening the delivery of entrepreneurship education of lecturers will help prepare them for the future of the country in line with the global trend of entrepreneurship as a major component of economic growth.

Source: Guardian