Bridging Policy and Practice: Curriculum and Pedagogical Reforms for Effective Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria

Bridging Policy and Practice

Abstract

This paper investigates the persistent gap between policy objectives and practical implementation in Nigeria’s Entrepreneurship Education (EE) system. Using an exploratory research approach and a critical literature review of studies from 2019 to 2025, the study assesses the adequacy of EE curricula for an SME-driven economy; examines dominant pedagogical methodologies and their effectiveness in achieving practical entrepreneurial competencies; and identifies the main challenges limiting the adoption of innovative, practical, and digitally relevant curricula and pedagogical models. Findings show that although EE has been formally integrated into tertiary curricula, its operationalisation remains largely theoretical and superficial - overloaded with theory and without the necessary infrastructure, personnel, or practical orientation. Pedagogy remains predominantly teacher-centred, anchored in lectures supplemented by foreign case studies that are ineffective in the Nigerian context. Major challenges are in five folds- policy-related, such as cosmetic reforms, policy inconsistency, and weak political will; human capital and pedagogical deficits, such as a shortage of entrepreneurial educators, inadequate teacher training, and assessment methods that reinforce memorisation; Infrastructural and resource limitations, such as unstable internet access, underfunding, and socio-cultural preferences for white-collar jobs. The study concludes that meaningful EE requires holistic reform in terms of curriculum overhaul for experiential learning, a shift to digital and student-centred pedagogy, strategic academia-industry partnerships, investment in capacity and infrastructure, and policy and cultural re-orientation to reposition EE as a driver of job creation, innovation, and sustainable economic development in Nigeria.