Project Abstract

Abstract
Entrepreneurship has been identified as a crucial driver of economic growth and development worldwide, and understanding the determinants of entrepreneurship among graduates is essential for fostering a culture of innovation and enterprise in Nigeria. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing entrepreneurship among graduates in Nigeria. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys and interviews to gather data from a sample of graduates across various disciplines. The findings revealed that a combination of personal characteristics, educational background, and environmental factors significantly influenced graduates' entrepreneurial intentions and activities. Personal characteristics such as self-efficacy, risk-taking propensity, and innovativeness were found to play a crucial role in shaping graduates' entrepreneurial mindset. Additionally, educational background, including entrepreneurship education and practical training, was identified as a key determinant of graduates' entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors. Environmental factors such as access to funding, government policies, and cultural attitudes towards entrepreneurship were also found to impact graduates' decision to pursue entrepreneurial activities. The study highlighted the importance of creating a supportive ecosystem that encourages and enables graduates to venture into entrepreneurship. This includes providing access to funding and resources, offering entrepreneurship education and training programs, and fostering a culture that celebrates entrepreneurial success. Overall, the study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the determinants of entrepreneurship among graduates in Nigeria. The findings have implications for policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders involved in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the country. By understanding the factors that influence graduates' entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors, targeted interventions can be developed to support and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs in Nigeria. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of addressing the multifaceted determinants of entrepreneurship among graduates in Nigeria. By creating an enabling environment that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation, the country can harness the potential of its young graduates to drive economic growth, create jobs, and contribute to sustainable development.

Project Overview

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In recent years, entrepreneurship education has been developing steadily but unevenly in most countries. In the United State for example, which has been a trailblazer and leader in the field, the last decade has been described as an important era, with a significant increase in student interest (Fiet 2001a) the figure tend to support this statement.

In 1971, only 16 colleges and universities in U.S. offered entrepreneurship education program, while today, there are more than 800.

Entrepreneurship is an under search topic in the social sciences and especially in economics. It was not always so, Schumpeter discusses the role of the entrepreneurship in the process of economic development at length. He imagine the entrepreneur as a creative driven individual who find new combination of factors of production” to discover and develop a new product, to apply strategy for a new market or design a new technology.

The United States have a comparatively long tradition of fostering entrepreneurs at universities and business schools. While the first entrepreneurship courses were taught at Harvard Business School as early as the 1930s, this field has seen increasing attention since the 1970s. By 1990, 400 universities in America were already estimates exceed 700 (Vesper and Macmillan 1988: Hills and Morris 1988, Fiet 2001) progress in this field has thus been extremely impressive.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Throughout the world, student in entrepreneurship as a career choice is growing Brenneret 1991, Hart et Harrison, 1992, while interest in traditional professional employment in big business is gradually declining (Kovereld 1996), the orientation and behaviours of student and young graduates are influenced by a number of personal and environmental factors.

Under uncertainly, out came may be characterized by an expected value which summarizes the potential out comes of the probability of their occurring. Business profits are typically an uncertain function of the work effort extended by the entrepreneur, with an expected profit level for each effort level surrounded by a variance of profit outcomes due to the impact of unexpected changed in consumer preferences competition price and product offerings, macro-economic variables and so on.

This profit variance introduces the role that additional remuneration for that effort profit variance is considered by potential entrepreneurs who asses stability (certainty of ensuring a pay check every month avoiding rise, maintaining current life style) before making a decision to set up a new venture (Amit, et al 1996) given the myriad of factors that surrounds the decision making frame of a young Nigeria graduate who intends to put a career in entrepreneur, it is imperative that answers be found to the following questions. What are the attitudes influences, their intention toward becoming entrepreneurs? What are the subjective norms underlying their intention of becoming entrepreneur? What control beliefs influence their intentions