Effects of Entrepreneurship Education on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Performance in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

There is has been growing concerns on the need to address the declining performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Abuja. It is why this study what role would practical entrepreneurship education play in addressing this phenomenon. A survey research approach was utilized in this study, wherein primary data were gathered from respondents through the distribution of a questionnaire specifically designed for managers, which had a total population of 651. Given the extensive population size, the Taro Yamane formula was employed to calculate an appropriate sample size, which resulted in a total of 248. From the distributed questionnaires, 232 were successfully retrieved, representing a response rate of 94%, and these responses were utilized for the analysis. To evaluate the formulated hypotheses in accordance with the study's objectives, an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis was conducted. The findings indicated the rejection of both null hypotheses, confirming that entrepreneurship education has a significant impact on the performance of SMEs, with job creation and business growth serving as the dependent variables. The study concluded that entrepreneurial education (entrepreneurial planning and entrepreneurship workshop) affects positively the performance of SMEs (job creation and growth of business). The study recommends that the government should develop acceptable, transparent, and workable policies such as provision of grants for formal and informal training of managers, provision of training and instructional materials, and retraining of the instructors, which ultimately will enhance the service delivery of the selected SMEs in Abuja. Also, the government should provide and develop technical/institutional assistance by properly funding and strengthening the institutions charged with supporting the SMEs in Abuja so as to achieve business growth of the selected SMEs in Abuja.