Enugu – Students and staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) have been advised not to rely solelyon their certificate as their means of livelihood.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Aloysius-Michaels Okolie gave the advice on Wednesday during a one-day workshop organised for staff and students of the university in collaboration with Tertiary Education Trust Funds (TETFUND).

The workshop which was aimed at giving students and academics hands-on knowledge for developing viable business ideas through proper feasibility studies and crafting realistic startup plans, was part of a broader push to strengthen entrepreneurship in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The two separate workshops were held simultaneously at the new Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) of the university, Ebe Ano City, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

The workshop brought together selected students and academics for practical sessions on two closely related themes: “Feasibility Studies and Business Start-up Plans” and “Business Analysis for Business Start-ups.”

The Vice Chancellor told the participants that “certificate alone, in the Nigerian and global setting, can lead you to nowhere. What employers really want is what a graduate can actually offer. And I also challenge my staff to diversify. The world today is not such that you would rely on one certificate for sustenance, diversify, acquire new careers and improve yourself,” he said.  

Professor Vincent Onodugo of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), kicked off the presentations looking at the theme “Business Analysis Fundamentals: Defining Needs and Managing Stakeholder Expectations.” He pointed out that many Nigerian business owners still struggle with accountability, which is one of the biggest expectations stakeholders have.

A former Director and pioneer Branch Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Asaba, Dame Elizabeth Agu (mni), focused on feasibility studies. Drawing from her banking experience, she explained their real meaning, purpose, and different types, while highlighting common causes of start-up failures. She drove home the point that a proper feasibility study is not just important but is a critical risk management tool for any business.

On his part, the Director of ESUT Consult, Professor Okechukwu Oji, took participants through “Start-up Business Plan: Development, Technical, Operational and Financial Evaluation.” He broke down the concepts of start-up, planning, development, and technical aspects before diving deeper into the topic.

The last speaker, Professor Chris Orga, an analytical business and entrepreneurship expert, and Deputy Director, EDC ESUT, took the conversation from different perspective, with fresh insights on mapping and modelling in business analysis, identifying inefficiencies, and spotting improvement opportunities using strategic tools. He also shared basic data analysis techniques and recommended Excel as more practical and sufficient for most start-up needs than the often-used SPSS.

Earlier in his speech, the Director of Entrepreneurial Centre ESUT, Professor Jude Udenta welcome all participants and facilitators to the workshop and stressed that the essence of the training was to equip ESUT Staff and students on the needed knowledge to discourage overdependence on certificate and encourage knowledge diversification. “This workshop is key to our careers as students or staff. The knowledge gained here would come handy in helping us not to depend on our certificate for sustenance. Diversification is key and cross-pollination of ideas here today will stimulate the discourse, I welcome all of you”, he said.

The Director of Academic Planning, Prof Chike Anibeze, reminded the participants that although education remains the key factor in human development, he however noted that the existing realities in the 21^st century global growth has made it mandatory that education without skills acquisition is not enough. “Humanity is diversifying, things are changing drastically such that with certificate alone, you will be lost in the global trend. Acquiring a skilling and starting up a business of your own is very important in our global society today,” he said.   

A question-and-answer session followed, group photographs were taken, and closing prayers offered before participants exited the hall

Not only did the Vice Chancellor, but the DVC, Chike Nwoha, the dean of Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Uchenna Bonniface Ugwuanyi, also graced the workshop.

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As part of its strategic planning in ensuring swift implementation of the experiential learning policy in ESUT, the Entrepreneurship Centre (EDC) on Wednesday held a one-day Teach-the-teacher workshop aimed at equipping the EDC facilitators with requisite know-how on how to upscale the students’ experiential abilities.  

Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor. Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie reminded the facilitators of their cardinal role in ensuring that students upgraded their skills outside their academic pursuit.

Professor Okolie who commended the Director of the EDC, Professor Jude Udenta and his team for their efforts in revolutionising the centre, said that the implementation of the 2023Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) emphasizes hands-on teaching methodology with 70% practical and 30% theory.

The VC who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chike Nwoha, Tasked the facilitators to be “more committed, sacrificial in your service and ensure you give the students the best.”

“When we visited Germany last month, we noticed that students hardly spend much time in the classroom. Everything is practical. Everybody is always in a hurry to be in the field, their educational system is rooted on practical application of knowledge such that before graduation, they are already engaged productively. I believe we can replicate the model here and EDC would be the vanguard,” the VC said.

Earlier in his opening address, The Director of EDC, Professor Jude Udenta said the workshop became imperative in view of the fact that the new academic session has started and the facilitators needed to be retrained ahead of the demands of the academic year adding that the target of the EDC in the new session is to produce all the departmental wears and lab clothes for students.

“We are in a new academic programme and the workshop is our own way of keying into the experiential learning policy of the Vice-Chancellor. The essence of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre in all universities in the country is to ensure that talents are put into use especially now that we are in 21^st century and the land is still green. We are trying to make sure that our students graduate as job creators not job seekers.

“We want the teachers to be focused and students to learn effectively. Last year, the Governor came here and he was happy about the shoes we produced and he patronised us.

“Our target is to produce the departmental wears and lab clothes of every department in ESUT and that is why we need to reorient the facilitators and ensure that the teachers have proper value as they go into the classrooms. It is all about value addition and we thank the management for approving the programme and we hope the facilitators would make the best use of the workshop,” he said.

Speaking on the topic: “Venture Creation and the CCMAS: What the Teacher should Know” one of the facilitators, Dr Felecia Nwokike emphasised the need for the teachers to lay emphasis on application of technology in providing solutions to human needs. She pointed out that the 21^st century students should be appears with the digital tools so as to enhance their experiential growth. 

On her part, another facilitator, Dr Nenye Onyeabor, speaking on “Understanding Value Proposition (Pitching)” dwelt on the importance of teachers going beyond the surface to explore hidden skills of students and maximise output. She urged the teachers to encourage students to always picth their ideas so as to express themselves

The Deputy Director, EDC, Professor Chris Orga, who spoke on the topic “Managing Skills: Understanding Business Plan Writing and Soft Skills in Venture Creation”, advised that students should be encouraged to write down their business plans even if the resources to execute them are not available. He not that by outing down their business ideas, they would encourage to seek for resources to implement them.

Highlight of the workshop display of products produced by the EDC. Some of the products displayed include soap, detergents and cosmetics, as well as shoes

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In its bid to promote practical application of entrepreneurship to improve of societal needs, the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) ESUT recently organized a train the trainer workshop in the University.

The workshop which held at the EDC Building at the main campus of the University at Agbani was to acquaint the lecturers and Practicum Instructors of the programmes of the Centre and the CCMAS implementation in the University

Anchored on the theme “Learning Journey: Teach-The-Teacher”, guest speakers made paper presentations highlighting the importance of acquisition of entrepreneurship skills before they leave the university.

In his opening address, the Director of the Centre, Prof Jude Udenta, thanked the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius Michaels-Nnnabugwu Okolie, for giving the Centre the platform to perform. He described the Vice-Chancellor as a change agent and promised not to fail him or the University. The Director thanked the facilitators and partners for attending the workshop and promised them a rewarding session.

In her paper, titled “Demands of CCMAS on Entrepreneurship Education”, the Director, Institute of Education, ESUT, Prof. Ngozika Mbarjiorgu, reminded participants that skill acquisition is not entrepreneurship. She advised the lecturers to let the students understand that only when the skill is used to innovate that it is entrepreneurship.

Prof. Chike Anibeze, Director of Academic Planning, commended the Centre for organising the workshop, describing it as timely. He posited that entrepreneurship hinges on value addition for economic development.

During his paper presentation, Director, ESUT Consult, Prof. Okey Oji described  business model as a rationale of how an organisation delivers and captures value. He stressed business model as a blueprint for strategy to be implemented through organisational structures, processes and systems. He advocated that key business model canvas should revolve around knowing key partners, activities, value propositions, customer relationships, customer segments, key resources, channels and revenue streams.

On his part, the Deputy Director EDC, Prof Chris Orga who delivered a paper on “Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Understanding the Embedded Contents”

described CCMAS as a bold attempt at re-orientating the students on entrepreneurship. He x-rayed the contents of the course – Entrepreneurship and Innovation and identified basic concepts of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, theories of entrepreneurship, innovation, forms of business ownership, critical thinking and 21st century skills.

He advised the participants to ensure the students were taught the biography of successful entrepreneurs as it would propel them to embrace entrepreneurship. He advocated the adoption of subjective questions in testing the students understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation, instead of the present evaluation method based on multiple choice questions. He warned that the continued use of multiple choice questions in evaluation would turn the students into robots and would increase stereotyping.

Earlier in his opening speech, the Director, EDC, Prof. Jude Udenta expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie for giving the Centre the platform to perform. He equally appreciated the facilitators and partners for attending the workshop and promised that their views would be collated and implemented to make the centre more viable.

Highlights of the workshop were the tour of EDC facilities and issuance of certificates to the facilitators and participants.

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