The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has begun a nationwide capacity-building workshop to strengthen entrepreneurship centres across Nigeria’s Colleges of Education, urging institutions to make teacher training a cornerstone of national innovation and productivity.
Speaking at the Abuja flag-off ceremony on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Professor Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, said the programme seeks to transform entrepreneurship centres into “vibrant ecosystems of creativity, innovation, and skill-based learning.”
“This is a defining moment for our education sector,” Okwelle stated. “We must move beyond teaching theory to building practical solutions that fuel innovation, self-employment, and sustainable development.”
He noted that many centres remain underutilized, stressing that “establishing entrepreneurship hubs is only the first step — the real challenge is ensuring they are effectively used to nurture viable enterprises and practical competencies.”
The workshop—spanning Abuja, Kano, and Asaba—aims to evaluate existing facilities, promote best practices, train coordinators, and chart a clear strategy for long-term transformation.
“Our focus is on honest evaluation, collaborative learning, and the creation of a concrete roadmap that will ensure our entrepreneurship centres truly serve as engines of growth,” he added.
Okwelle also called on college provosts to take ownership of the initiative, saying they must “lead with vision and commitment so that entrepreneurship becomes part of the institutional culture.”
Delivering a goodwill message for TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, Dr. Saadatu Farook Labaran highlighted that Nigeria’s high youth unemployment and dependence on imports underscore the urgency of functional entrepreneurship education.
“The revitalization of these centres reflects a deliberate effort to foster innovation, self-reliance, and sustainable growth,” she said. “TETFund is committed to supporting programmes that equip both educators and learners to compete effectively in a fast-evolving global economy.”
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, commended NCCE’s leadership, urging colleges to make entrepreneurship centres “living laboratories of innovation and enterprise” in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The workshop represents a major step in embedding entrepreneurship into Nigeria’s teacher education framework—empowering educators not just as knowledge transmitters, but as catalysts for national development and economic transformation.
