Entrepreneurship Education and Capacity Development in Nigeria: A Systematic Review of Institutional, Pedagogical, and Financing Mechanism

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education has become an important strategy for strengthening entrepreneurial capacity, promoting self-reliance, and responding to persistent employment and enterprise-development challenges in Nigeria. However, existing studies have largely emphasized entrepreneurial intention, employment creation, and business start-up, while comparatively limited attention has been given to the institutional, pedagogical, and financing mechanisms through which entrepreneurship education contributes to capacity development. This study systematically reviewed relevant literature to synthesize evidence on these mechanisms and clarify the conditions that shape entrepreneurship education outcomes in Nigeria. Relevant peer-reviewed studies, policy documents, government publications, and institutional reports were identified through major academic databases and scholarly sources and subsequently screened for relevance and eligibility. The selected literature was analyzed through qualitative thematic synthesis supported by NVivo, while Human Capital Theory and Schumpeter’s Innovation Theory provided the interpretive foundations for understanding skill development, innovation, and entrepreneurial transformation. The findings identified three interrelated mechanisms comprising institutional frameworks and support structures, pedagogical approaches, and financing arrangements. Entrepreneurship education was consistently associated with entrepreneurial skills, managerial competence, innovation capability, employability, self-reliance, and enterprise preparedness. However, the realization of these outcomes was constrained by inadequate infrastructure, limited experiential learning, insufficient instructor capacity, weak university-industry collaboration, restricted access to entrepreneurial finance, and inconsistent policy implementation. The review demonstrates that entrepreneurship education does not automatically generate broader capacity-development outcomes but depends on the alignment of institutional support, practical pedagogy, financing, and the wider entrepreneurial environment. The study therefore provides an integrated perspective for strengthening entrepreneurship education and supporting sustainable capacity development in Nigeria.