ABSTRACT
This study explored the impact of the business education program on entrepreneurship development in public universities in Nigeria, with a focus on the University of Benin, in Benin City, it specifically aimed to investigate the benefits of business education for both individual students and the overall development of Nigeria as a Nation, assess the level of awareness surrounding business education programs in Nigeria, analyze the impact of business education programs on the development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, evaluate the necessity for Entrepreneurship Development through Business Education, investigate the relationship between business education and the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria. And Propose solutions to address challenges within the realm of business education in Nigeria. Six (6) research questions was raised to guide the study. The study adopted a survey research design, The population of study constitutes all the Undergraduate students of University of Benin, Edo State, A sample of 100 students was selected for the study. The sample was gotten using multi stage sampling. In the first stage, five faculties with degree programme of four year duration for United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) students were randomly selected using the ballot procedure. Secondly, twenty students were randomly selected from each faculty, five from each level bringing the total number of students sample to one hundred (100) the instrument for data collection was a questionnaire, and the data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and mean. The following findings were observed from the result; equipping students with skills, increased confidence in personal finance management, development of critical thinking are the benefits of business education to students and to Nigeria as a Nation, there is high level of awareness of business education programmes in Nigeria, business education programmes impacts entrepreneurship development in Nigeria, there is a high need for entrepreneurship development through business education, the level of awareness of business education programs in Nigeria significantly impact participation, stronger partnership, increased collaboration, international partnership, regular update of business education curricular and organization of business education pogrammes are the ways to curb the challenges facing business education programmes, there is no significant relationship between business education programs and entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are proposed: Government and private sector stakeholders should allocate more resources to support business education programs in Nigeria, including funding for faculty development, curriculum enhancement, and infrastructure improvement. Universities should regularly update their business education curricula to align with industry needs, technological advancements, and global best practices. Emphasis should be placed on practical learning experiences and the integration of entrepreneurship education.
