The Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, has launched a handbook to promote inclusive entrepreneurship in the country.
The book launch on inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship programming in Nigeria was held on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Professor Enase Okonedo, said, “This handbook is supposed to be a guide for all those interested in developing and running programs for inclusive entrepreneurs and that is equitable. This handbook is one that was written by the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University with the support of the MasterCard Foundation.
“Building inclusive entrepreneurship in Nigeria requires collaboration across sectors—individuals, communities, civil organisations, government, private institutions, and universities all play a role. To use entrepreneurship as a transformative tool, program developers must act intentionally to remove structural, financial, cultural, and gender-based barriers.
“But I think the first step is really recognising the barriers that exist and then looking for ways by which you can overcome those barriers.”
The Country Director for Nigeria Programmes at the Mastercard Foundation, Rosy Fynn, said, “This handbook which is focused on inclusive and equitable programming in Nigeria, I think it is going to be a game changer. As you may know, we have been working with the Enterprise Development Centre for several years with a vision of creating entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
“Our learnings on programming for vulnerable groups—women, persons with disabilities, the internally displaced, and youth—inspired this handbook. It serves as a practical blueprint for organizations to build inclusive entrepreneurship programs in Nigeria,” Fynn explained.
“I believe much can be done—not just for Nigerian women, but also for people with disabilities, young people, and the internally displaced. Today, we have highlighted the barriers they face: limited access to finance and markets, lack of skills, mindset challenges, and inadequate policies. Addressing these issues is essential to helping women build sustainable, thriving businesses in Nigeria,” Fynn said.
On her part, the Director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Nneka Okekearu, mentioned that in the last 21 years, EDC has engaged in a lot of programmes around entrepreneurship across the country and in sub-Saharan Africa. And we realized that there were lots of gaps when it came to inclusivity and making sure that it was equitable and that is why we came up with this handbook.
She said, “Over the last five years, our work with the MasterCard Foundation has focused on transforming Nigerian youths’ lives through capacity building and mindset shifts. This highlighted the need for further action. As a co-thinking organisation, we realised it is essential to share what we have learned, which led us to publish this handbook,”
According to Okekearu, this handbook is essential for achieving the desired outcomes in entrepreneurship programming, from developing and implementing initiatives for entrepreneurs in Nigeria to ensuring inclusivity so that no one is left behind.
“This handbook is a training manual, not just a book. It guides people in designing inclusive entrepreneurship programs, ensuring no one, especially people with determination and women—is left behind,” Okekearu added.
“Until people’s mindsets start to shift, we won’t have the change that we want. Everything that the government is doing, no matter how much money, how much resources are put, if people don’t think differently, we can’t get the outcomes that we require,” she stated.
