Brunel Business School at Brunel University, London, has partnered with the Education Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to foster entrepreneurship among secondary school students in Abuja. The collaboration aims to transform students’ ideas into viable business solutions that address societal challenges.
The partnership was announced at the launch of the Brunel-FCT Innovation Challenge on Monday in Abuja, with the goal of driving innovation and creating a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive city. The initiative will run from January to March 2025, and will be open to all secondary schools in the FCT.
Ainurul Rosli, Professor of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Brunel University, explained that the challenge is designed to encourage students to explore their local environments, identify community needs, and develop entrepreneurial solutions using science and technology. The students will work in groups to propose practical improvements that can contribute to a safer, fairer, and greener Abuja.
“The main goal is to encourage students to assess what is missing in their communities and propose solutions that will benefit local residents through entrepreneurship,” said Rosli. “We want to make sure that students are not only coming up with ideas, but also learning how to turn those ideas into commercially viable products that have a positive impact.”
As part of the programme, the Brunel team will provide mentorship to the students through monthly online sessions, helping them refine their ideas and prepare them for commercialization. The partnership also involves training teachers to support students in developing and launching entrepreneurial projects.
“The focus is on equipping students with the skills they need to become entrepreneurs by choice, not just by necessity,” Rosli added. “We believe this will help boost Nigeria’s economy and empower communities to collaborate in solving local problems.”
The initiative also seeks to partner with various stakeholders, including banks, government agencies, and business organizations, to support the commercialization of students’ ideas. “Our hope is that some of the students’ proposals will be adopted and scaled by these partners, helping to create jobs and solve real-world challenges,” Rosli said.
Mr. Olobashola Kolawale, Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation at FCTA’s Education Secretariat, noted that while entrepreneurship training in FCT schools has been in place for some time, the partnership with Brunel University would help bridge the gap between ideas and implementation.
“Entrepreneurship training in FCT schools has faced challenges due to a lack of practical knowledge on how to transform ideas into reality,” Kolawale said. “This partnership is equipping us with the tools to support students in turning their entrepreneurial ideas into tangible projects.”
The collaboration has also trained school principals, enabling them to better integrate practical entrepreneurship into their curriculum. Mr. Musa Zuru, Principal of Government Secondary School in Kubwa, highlighted the positive impact of the training, saying that students are now thinking critically and proposing innovative solutions to local challenges in a way that can be both profitable and impactful.
The Brunel-FCT Innovation Challenge is a key step towards nurturing a new generation of entrepreneurs in Nigeria, with the potential to create lasting positive change in the nation’s capital and beyond.
