UNESCO CHAIR ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY ADO-EKITI (ABUAD)

SOURCE: ABUAD UNESCO Chair on Global Citizenship – Culture of Diversity and Peace (2022),

ABUAD UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship Education and Sustainable Development 2022.

2021 Report of ABUAD/UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development.

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) is the proud recipient of the UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development in April 2019. The UNESCO Chair was officially inaugurated on October 04, 2019 in Owolabi Hall, ABUAD by Mrs. Florence Oguah, The Secretary General of the Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO. The Four activities of the Chair that are planned for implementation annually have been enumerated and financial sources to implement them will be sought.

  • BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE CHAIR

Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD joined with 770 institutions in 126 countries to become one of the three premium institutions (two public institutions and the only private university, ABUAD) in Nigeria that is currently bestowed with the award of a UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development (hereinafter referred to as "the Chair").

  • PURPOSE:

The purpose of the UNESCO Chair shall be to promote an integrated System of research, training, information and documentation on entrepreneurship education. It will facilitate collaboration between high-level, internationally recognized researchers and teaching staff from the University and other institutions in Nigeria, as well as elsewhere in Africa and in Europe.

  • OBJECTIVES:

The specific objectives of this Chair are to:

  1. provide vocational education and training to empower school leavers, graduates, unemployed youth and women, especially girls with the knowledge and skills necessary to sustain their livelihoods, ensure food security and poverty alleviation;
  2. to promote the integration of Education for Sustainable Development in education programmes at all levels, and foster skills acquisition and entrepreneurship in the university;
  3. promote entrepreneurship education, training and modem agriculture through education, develop manuals and courses and provide training, publish journals and newsletters to raise awareness about entrepreneurship education;
  4. Establish Research and Development programmes at the university focusing on empowerment and modernization of agriculture to improve food production in communities and enhance food security; and, cooperate closely with UNESCO and existing UNESCO Chairs on relevant programmes and activities.
  5. Provide mentorship for start-up
  6. grant the local communities to use the university facilities for their training and business development.

Click here to read 2022 Training and mentorship and empowerment for the start up

  1. FUNCTIONS

In pursuant of the UNESCO mandates, the ABUAD UNESCO Chair on Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the Founder of the University and the ABUAD Farm, will set out (in the next five years, 2019 - 2023) to establish a training programme at the ABUAD Farm where youths - school leavers, graduates, unemployed youth and women, especially girls will be trained in: (a) some agricultural and Livestock production, (b) Empowerment training / skill acquisition in vocational training, and (c) Mobile and Web Application development; as well as, Hardware Repair and Networking; and Renewable energy/ Solar inverter system installation.

  • PLAN OF ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY ONE:

The first activity of the ABUAD UNESCO Chair on Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development is to build critical mass of agricultural entrepreneurs in:

  1. poultry,
  2. piggery,
  3. fishery,
  4. mango plantation
  5. moringa plantation
  6. manufacture of value chain products of Mango and Moringa including: Mango Juice, Mango Chips, Moringa capsules, Moringa Tea, Moringa Cream and Oil, Moringa Powder, Moringa Soap productions,
  7. feedmill – poultry feeds and fish feeds - floating and sinker types

To ensure food security and poverty alleviation in Nigeria, especially in the rural southwest states of Nigeria. These activities are planned for the first quarter of the year, annually.

ACTIVITY TWO:

In the second quarter of the year, Empowerment training / skill acquisition in vocational training leading to hot hands-on job opportunities in such vocations as:

welding, plumbing, electrician, printing press-manship, furniture making, bakery, arts and graphics, tiling & interlocking flooring, block making, hairdressing, soap/detergent/cosmetic making, shoe-making, tailoring, dye & textile making, among many other hot vocations

Are planned for the empowerment of the unemployed youths and females, especially the girl-child, annually.

ACTIVITY THREE:

In the third quarter of the year, students (ABUAD and other institutions) will be trained in three major skills area that are among the most sought after and in-demand professional skills currently in the world.

These are:

(a)  Mobile and Web Application development;

(b) Hardware Repair and Networking; and

(c) Renewable energy/ Solar inverter system installation.

ACTIVITY FOUR:

As these youth training programmes are ongoing:

Seminars, Conferences and publications of the UNESCO Chair will be planned into the activities of the Chair, at least once a year.

Most importantly, Certificate of completion of training and Starter kits including seeds or applicable tools will be provided to the graduates of these programmes to complete the empowerment.

Graduates will be monitored to ensure that they are gainfully utilizing their skills and the starter kits they have been provided with.

  • IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR (IF ANY)
  • INAUGURATION OF THE UNESCO CHAIR IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development at ABUAD was officially inaugurated at a ceremony in Owolabi Hall, on October 04, 2019 between 12:45 pm to 2:45pm. The ceremony attracted dignitaries from across the spectrum of the society from the Secretary General of the Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO to Royal Fathers from Nigeria (Especially Ekiti State), to National and State Directors of Agricultural Institutes (e. National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, NAERLS; etc), to representatives of the State Government, Farmers Associations, students and the general public.

  • Activities that are planned for the four quarters of the year have been enumerated. The financial implications will be worked out and sources to generate funds for the implementation of the programs will be pursued internally in the university (through the Founder of the University), and externally through grants from national and international organizations.
  • YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO FURTHER DEVELOP THE CHAIR

Through concerted effort of an ABUAD Committee on UNESCO Chair set up in November 2017, that was responsible for the success of the application for this esteemed UNESCO Chair in ABUAD, the Committee members whose names are provided below will work assiduously to ensure that all the annual activities enumerated above will be carried out:

ABUAD UNESCO Committee on Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development

  1. Prof. Abiodun A. Ojo; Professor (Chairman of ABUAD-UNESCO Committee)
  2. Prof. Pius Abimbola Okiki; Professor
  3. Prof. Amos Onasanya; Professor
  4. Prof. Samuel Igbatayo, Professor
  5. Prof. Tolu Ogunnusi
  6. Dr. Oluwaseyi A. Adeyemo
  7. Dr. Funmilayo Bamigboye
  8. Dr. Bayo Ogundipe, ICT Director
  9. Mr. Modupe Babalola, University Bursar (Senior Advisor on ABUAD UNESCO Budget)
  10. Mr. Samuel Dada, (Advisor on ABUAD/UNESCO Budget)
  11. Mr. Tosin Salami (Secretary)
  • FINANCIAL REPORT (WHERE NECESSARY)

The university, through the Founder of the university, was responsible for sponsorship of the Inauguration activity on October 04, 2019 at Owolabi Hall, Afe Babalola University. The costs for the implementation of the four activities planned annually are being worked out and shall be provided soon. Efforts are ongoing to seek and obtain grants in support of the UNESCO Chair in order to carry out program implementations and sustainability.

  1. CHALLENGES

The UNESCO Chair is not a grant-awarding program. The expectation is that the institution granted the Chair would self-finance its activities until they are able to get externally supporting grants from granting institutions nationally and internationally based on the successful activities of the UNESCO Chair. Getting started without a startup grant is a challenge that will be overcome with time.

  1. RECOMMENDATIONS

There is need for the UNESCO Chair to compile details of the costing for the implementation of the annual activities and to get the financial approval of the Founder who is going to provide the startup grant to jump start the UNESCO Chair activities in 2020.

  1. CONCLUSION

The university is proud to be among the recipient of the UNESCO Chairs in 2019. The inauguration of the UNESCO Chair was carried out officially by Mrs. Florence Oguah, the Secretary General of the Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO on October 04, 2019. Renewed efforts to ensure that the annual activities of the UNESCO Chair starting in 2020 are being put in place in order to meet the mandates of the UNESCO agreement.

Thank you.

Prof. Abiodun A. Ojo

UNESCO Chair