ENTREPRENUERSHIP IN AFRICAN SCHOOLS: INNOVATION OR SURVIVAL?

Across secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Africa, students no longer wait to graduate before earning incomes. From selling goods like beads, clothes, perfumes, shoes and the likes, to rendering services like photography, hair dressing, catering, tailoring and many more, young Africans are building businesses while in school.

Now the question is, ARE STUDENTS BECOMING ENTREPRENUERS OUT OF INNOVATION OR OUT OF SURVIVAL?. In different countries or cities, it is now very common to find students who run online businesses, students who offer digital services like graphic design and content creators for brands, and even traders in the crypto world. Entrepreneurship has moved from being optional to being expected because literally everyone on campus is an entrepreneur, it is no longer impressive but normal.

We are going to be looking at this from two point of view: firstly, ‘is seeing entrepreneurship as survival’. For many African students, business is not moved by passion but necessity. The cost of living increases almost everyday, there is accommodation, transportation and even feeding to pay for, so these youth tend to start up businesses. Another thing is the high rate of unemployment across part of the continent, many students no longer have trust that their degrees or certificates can guarantee a job. Some students have family members and siblings to support financially also. In this context entrepreneurship becomes a coping mechanism and a way to survive.

Secondly, is seeing entrepreneurship as innovation. Looking at it from just one point of view would be unfair. Africa is home to one of the youngest populations in the world and the presence of youths brings about innovation, creativity and ideas. Some businesses across campuses did not come out of struggles and are not survival strategies. Some businesses started from amazing ideas which solve problems across campuses. Students develop applications, they sell what other students need and many more.

However, it is important to ask questions like, are African schools structured to support entrepreneurship? Though many schools prioritize theory over practical skills, memorization over problem solving and certificates over competence, it is important to note that some schools have started adding entrepreneurship studies into the curriculum but most of them are abstract rather than experiential.

This topic is actually a two-edged sword, because once too much attention is given to businesses, they tend to forget their academics. Not every student need to become business owners, the society needs professionals, researchers and educators. And then, for many students’ survival births innovation. In Africa resilience often births creativity, entrepreneurship should be a pathway to transformation and not a substitute for failed economic systems.

Credit: Esther Ojoma Sule