Agripreneurial potential of university agricultural science students: opportunities in agri-food systems for Africa’s development

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Africa's higher education institutions must transform to meet evolving economic conditions by fostering agripreneurship among students. This study examined the enterprising tendency of agricultural science students at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), using the General Measure of Enterprising Tendency version 2 (GET2) framework to assess agripreneurial potential and opportunities for agri-food systems development. A survey of 176 students was conducted using structured questionnaires, with data analysed through frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and two-way multivariate analysis of variance. The findings revealed that 81.3% of the respondents were male, with an average age of 24.10 ±4.19 years. A significant majority (91.5%) expressed interest in establishing agri-food enterprises, particularly in livestock and crop production, after graduation. Most students (90.9%) demonstrated a moderate level of entrepreneurial tendency. While students exhibited intermediate levels of achievement motivation, creativity, calculated risk-taking, and internal locus of control, their need for autonomy was notably low. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to strengthen students' agripreneurial capabilities, particularly by enhancing their autonomy. By implementing tailored training programs, UEW can more effectively prepare its agricultural science students to become successful agripreneurs, contributing significantly to the advancement of Africa's agri-food system. </abstract>