Re-Engineering Entrepreneurial Education For Employment and Poverty Alleviation In The Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined the relationship between entrepreneurial educational programmes of universities in the Niger Delta and employment/poverty alleviation in the region. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of all final year students of the Department of Economics/ Entrepreneurial studies from Universities of Uyo, Calabar and Port Harcourt, totaling 238. The purposive sampling technique was used as all the 238 final year students were involved in the study. Data collection was carried out with a researcher-developed instrument tagged “Entrepreneurial Education and Poverty Alleviation Questionnaire” (EEPAQ). The instrument, which had 15 items, was duly validated and tested for reliability using the Cronbach alpha formula, with a reliability estimate of 0.71. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis was used in analyzing the data collected for the study. The result revealed no significant relationship between entrepreneurial education programmes of Universities in the Niger Delta and employment/poverty alleviation in the region. Based on the findings, it was concluded that entrepreneurial education programmes of universities in the Niger Delta do no facilitate self productivity among the graduates; and that the programmes have no significant bearing with poverty alleviation in the region. Based on this, it was recommended, among others, that there is need to restructure the course contents of entrepreneurial education programmes in Nigerian universities to make it more relevant to the environment and needs of the individuals.

Keywords: Re-engineering, Entrepreneurial Education, Poverty Alleviation,  Niger Delta Region, Unemployment.