The BOI-LBS Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC)
The BOI-LBS Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre has been set up to develop impact-driven entrepreneurs who use for-profit business models to solve problems and transform society positively. The programme aims to produce a new breed of innovative and problem-solving entrepreneurs who will transform society and revamp the national economy through job-creation and the commercialization of their solutions globally.
Management of the Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre
• Governing Council:
Ms Oputu (Council Chair), Dr Ezekiel Oseni, Mr Obaro Osah, Mr Abdul-Ganiyu Mohammed, Mr Charles Ivenso, Dr Henrietta Onwuegbuzie, Mrs Ireti Daramola
• Executive Management:
Dr Henrietta Onwuegbuzie -Centre Director, Dr Olayode Agboola (Research Fellow), Mr Gregory Asiegbu (Programme Manager)
The Centre aims to achieve the following objectives:
• Produce world-class entrepreneurs whose products and/or services can be exported globally
• Position Nigerian entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunities presented by AfCFTA
• Provide capacity-enhancing opportunities to ensure entrepreneurs operate and deliver at global standards.
• Help entrepreneurs grow and expand their businesses and consequently employ more people.
• Develop Business Management capacity to enhance the managerial, financial, and leadership skills of trainees.
• Provide an entrepreneurial ecosystem to equip and support entrepreneurs
• Develop investment-ready businesses that would have been de-risked through training
The training will be in four phases:
Phase I: Entrepreneurship orientation and Business Management training (Duration: 3 months)
Phase II: Technical training to enhance the capacity of successful candidates from phase I (Duration will depend on the type of skill being learnt and the level of expertise of the selected candidates (may be 6mths-1yr)
Phase III: Apprenticeship/business incubation/mentoring opportunities: Experience applying the skill in the context of a bigger business(3mths -1 year). (Phase II and III may occur together in some instances).
Phase IV: Access to markets and funding: Platforms (online and offline) will be facilitated to provide access to wider markets. Where necessary, access to funding will also be facilitated.
These four phases are intended to comprehensively provide everything an entrepreneur needs to succeed. All four phases ensure that participants are groomed into entrepreneurs who can operate profitable, sustainable and transformative businesses within Nigeria, that serve markets in Africa and across the globe.
Proposed scope:
The programme will hold in the six geo-political zones of the country.
Target Audience:
The target audience include for-profit entrepreneurs whose businesses are solving problems or transforming society positively. They may include NYSC members, university/polytechnic graduates, prospective BOI customers (minimum qualification: WAEC)
Eligibility and Selection Criteria for participants
The following key criteria will be used in evaluating potential participants:
– Be at least 18 years of age. Having entrepreneurial experience will be an advantage. Could be a start-up or may have been established for some years already. Most importantly, the business should be solving a problem or meeting a need and should be scalable.
– Be a citizen or legal resident of Nigeria.
– Be available to commit to the training schedule
– Special focus shall be given to youth and women.
– Two letters of recommendation
Application procedure:
• Fill form online (upload certificates and two letters of recommendation)
• Interview process
• Admission letters will be sent to successful candidates
Programme structure:
Classes on Entrepreneurship orientation and Business Management, will hold 3 days a week for 3 months as follows:
Tue, Wed, and Thu, every week
• Session 1: 10.00am – 11.15 am
• Break: 11.15am – 11.45 am
• Session 2: 11.45am – 1.00 pm
• Lunch break: 1.00pm – 2.00 pm
• Session 3: 2.00pm – 3.15 pm
Certification requirements:
To be considered eligible to receive a certificate, you will be required to:
• Attend at least 80% of the sessions in each course and score at least 60% in each of course.
• Considered to be of good character as defined in the training policy to be signed upon acceptance.
