Modelling Entrepreneurial University in Developing Economies: Lessons From Nigeria

Abstract

The higher education institutions in Nigeria are witnessing a number of challenges such as insufficient funding, quality, access, governance, information communication technology, graduate unemployment and underemployment, lack of outreach to the society (Williams et al. 2003, Salmi 2001, Fourie 2003, Akinyemi et al. 2012). There is therefore need for the institutions with capacity to be run using ‘entrepreneurial university model’ in order that these challenges may be addressed. Questionnaires and unstructured interviews were used as primary source of data collection which were administered on officers holding strategic positons in higher educational institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria. The quantitative data were analyzed using percentage means. This paper aims to identify the current state of higher education institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria and potential areas of actions in order to reorient the ones with capacity towards institutional and cultural change needed in becoming entrepreneurial university thereby solving the challenges of HEIs in the country. The result of the survey revealed that the two federal government owned institutions are in better position to be reoriented and restructured as entrepreneurial universities as their cumulative mean percentage are better than other institutions. The institutions are in the initial stage of entrepreneurial university as their mean percentage on almost all variables are below average. The institutions needs to drive the entrepreneurship agenda from the top management creating the necessary ecosystem that will facilitate the growth of variables needed in becoming entrepreneurial university. The government need to enable the necessary policies that the institutions need to become entrepreneurial universities