Determinants of entrepreneurial propensity of Nigerian undergraduates: an empirical assessment

Abstract

The specific factors that influence the entrepreneurial inclination of students were studied with a view to designing appropriate policies on entrepreneurship within tertiary institutions. The sample for the study consisted of 7,560 students from a total of 25 tertiary institutions with 83% response rate. While we found that entrepreneurial interest among Nigerian students is quite high, the expression of this interest in practice is rather low. The main factors found to significantly explain entrepreneurial interest are parents" educational qualifications, family entrepreneurial history, family sociodemographics, students" entrepreneurial experience, and students" socio-demographics. Of the fourteen variables identified as being central in encouraging students" entrepreneurial interests, only five can be defined as necessary, though but not sufficient, conditions to stimulate interest: gender, number of children by father, position among mother"s children, father"s monthly income and entrepreneurial education. This has policy implications both for government and the institutions. The study is the first of its magnitude in Nigeria and provides baseline information for researchers and policy makers who need to better understand the dynamics of entrepreneurship among Nigerian youth.

The supply of high-quality entrepreneurs in developing countries: evidence from Nigeria

“…It is interesting to note that entrepreneurship education is also a commonly reported motivator of EI. This is in keeping with existing evidence that entrepreneurship education plays an important role in the development of entrepreneurial mindset of youths and in reinforcing their intention towards entrepreneurship (Siyanbola et al 2012;Valerio et al 2014).…”

“…Our estimations control for a number of other correlates of entrepreneurial behaviour found in the literature on entrepreneurship (Wang and Wong 2004;Tulker and Selcuk 2009;Siyanbola et al 2012) and available in our dataset. These include variables related to:…”

“…To date, this very large and unique data set is the only one of such in the country. Using the 2007 wave of this data set, Siyanbola et al (2012) found that entrepreneurship education is a very significant correlate of EI among highly-educated young persons in Nigeria. However, that study could not provide rigorous evidence on the impact of entrepreneurship education on EI.…”

Determinants of Youth Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia Specific Evidence from Graduated Unemployed Youth in Debre Tabor

“…In many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, there exists an increasing interest in entrepreneurship. This is because entrepreneurship is considered as a means of energizing the economy and a way of coping with unemployment problems that characterize most developing economies (Siyanbola, Afolabi, Jesuleye, Egbetokun, Dada, Aderemi, MarufSanni and Rasaq, 2012). As the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey (2017/18) unveils that, there is encouraging signs of improvement in the entrepreneurial conditions, which describe particularly important contributions to building a stimulating environment for people with entrepreneurial intentions and activities.…”

“…As stated in the work of Siyanbola, et al, (2012) there seems to be a consensus on the idea that the family is the principal agent of socialization. Families are seen as role models exercising both overt and covert technical influences on their wards as they set norms, values and orient behaviors in the course of daily life.…”