Entrepreneurial Skill Acquisition Programmes in Tertiary Education Curriculum: Emerging Solution to Youth Unemployment in Nigeria and South Africa

Both formal education and the acquisition of relevant entrepreneurship skills by young people are essential for the socio-economic and political progress of any country. African youths are deficient in adequate skills with formal education to become self-reliant and generate employment opportunities for others. The study utilised secondary sources of data and employed a qualitative research approach to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial skill acquisition initiatives and the academic curriculum in Nigerian and South African institutions. The data were collected from many sources, including textbooks, academic journals, online resources, and official documents on the subject matter. The data collected were examined using content analysis and suitable descriptive analysis techniques. The study uncovered a fundamental lack of vocational training and entrepreneurial skill development in the academic curricula of Nigerian and South African universities across all disciplines. Instead of taking advantage of numerous opportunities to acquire practical skills and become employers, the youth in these countries tend to wait until after graduation to pursue elusive white-collar jobs. The study concluded that the significance of vocational training and the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills by African youth is of utmost importance in the current era of rapid socio-economic growth. Universities in African countries should follow the trend in Japan, China, and South Korea’s education systems by implementing and mandating vocational training and entrepreneurial skill development at all levels of educational programmes. The study contributes to academic discourse by contextualising entrepreneurial skill development within Africa’s socio-economic landscape, delivering insights for curricular advancement, and presenting pragmatic strategies to mitigate youth unemployment.