STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL HEALTH PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Remarking on the justification for entrepreneurship as a critical component for economic and employment creation, emphasis on building a robust student’s entrepreneurship mind-set has received less attention, especially in this era of global health pandemic (Covid-19). This knowledge chasm stimulates the need to understand students’ entrepreneurship mind-set in this era of paid employment loss. A total of 24 final year students were selected on purpose and snowball across two faculties with the Mind-set theoretical analysis reviewed as the theoretical leaning. The results reveal the development of students’ entrepreneurship mind-set to include attitude development, preparedness, being business savvy and a stimulating business environment. Others include effective mobilization of human and material resources and appropriate students’ cognitive cognizance. The persistent economic downturn was argued as the link between the global health pandemic and the dwindling rate of graduate jobs, whereas appropriate entrepreneurship education, content and curriculum was advanced as important indicators for a sustaining students’ entrepreneurial mind-set. The study recommends the university administrators in their effort to implement entrepreneurship education across the strata of the university as a pathway to economic sustenance and development. This effort, however, must be channeled to ensure students are greatly motivated towards entrepreneurship venture.