Description
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education In African Tertiary Institutions
1
PIONEERING AGRIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
IN AFRICAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
By
BERNARD A. OKPOKWASI LI
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology,
Goderich Campus,
Freetown,
Sierra Leone.
Abstract
Africans are defined as a people perpetually ravaged by wars and poverty.
The continent has the highest population of young persons per country
globally, with the educated and middle-class population on a continuous rise.
This translates into potential manpower vital for sustainable economic
growth. Global economic statistics indicate appreciable and constant
economic growth across countries. Sadly, economic hardship is on the rise
with economic migrants undertaking dangerous and deadly journeys across
the Sahara desert and Mediterranean seas to Europe in search of better lives
to escape crippling poverty ravaging the lives of young men and women at
home. Can countries in Africa emulate other nations to develop synergies that
consolidated and systematically marked them out as monopolies in their areas
of specialisation, by developing potentials for sustained growth to trade with
the world and emerge global leaders? How will African governments and
academic institutions channel resources to develop entrepreneurial activities
to emerge a competitive force and move up the ladder of global economic
development? The paper reviewed few existing relevant literatures and
statistics on African governments’, individuals, local and international
institutions and organisations investment in entrepreneurial training and
practice. Billions of dollars invested in agriculture over the years never
impacted the lives of citizens but fuelled corruption in many African countries.
Government inputs were bureaucratic and mismanaged, smallholder
investments were too small to make appreciable impact, while foreign
investments were mainly export oriented. Countries in Africa can only
transform their economic landscapes by channelling all human, material and
economic resources to maximally utilise abundant land resources for
agricultural purposes. Academic institutions will develop quality manpower
and engage in real entrepreneurship development for economic
transformation of nations and institutions.
2
Diverse works and publications from development economists and statistics
point to the fact that vast majority of entrepreneurs in developing countries are engaged
in Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE), often informal, thus contributing very little to
poverty alleviation and growth. Issues like poor learning environment, lack of
infrastructure, low quality manpower, corruption at all levels, political instability, low
capital base, inconsistent policies and underdeveloped markets make ventures into
entrepreneurship more like the proverbial journey into the lions’ den.
Above factors directly correlate between entrepreneurship development and
state peace. Poverty can only be defined in the worst economic and social terms. Out of
54 countries, 34 all in sub-Sahara are classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
with high birth and mortality rates than any other part of the world (Bhattacharya,
2010). The continent has a population slightly over one (1) billion with over 60% in
rural areas where subsistence and small holder agriculture employ between 70 to 90%
of the population. It has an area of 30,221,532km sq and a population density of
30.51/km sq and 15% of world population. (FAO, 2012)
The unprecedented rate of technological progress in information,
communication and globalisation has a great impact on market access and
competitiveness (UNIDO, 2010). According to the 2010 Global Manufacturing
Competitiveness Index, China, India, Republic of Korea, Brazil and USA will occupy
top 5 positions by 2015, followed by Mexico, J apan, Germany, Poland and Thailand to
make up the top 10 global manufacturing destinations by 2015. The major factor
driving these manufacturing forces is classical economic factors of production – labour,
material and energy (Manufacturing Competitiveness UNIDO, 2010). China
consistently invested massively on infrastructural development for decades, which
manifested in their ability to plant industries across the entire country both in rural and
urban towns. India is another example that had a long term systematic manpower
development programme in technology exporting science students to America and
Europe en-mass, thereby adapting systems that incorporated efficiencies of both
systems.
For Africa, developing global market relevance can only be achieved by
employing the vast natural resources for agricultural production. Land area employed
for agriculture is about 44% of available landscape with only 10% utilised for arable
farming, 1.6% for plantation and 32% for pasture. Potentials for massive development
thereby abound in this sector by systematically deploying more land for agricultural
purposes (FAO, 2012).
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
3
This paper intends to explore potentials available to Africa in developing its
entrepreneurial education and production maximally, utilising vast natural, human and
financial resources to make agriculture the main focus of its global market economy for
massive economic turnaround.
Entrepreneurial Capacity in African Concept
Entrepreneurship in developing countries more or less refer to Micro and Small
Enterprises, (MSEs) that employ limited capital to businesses scattered throughout the
economic landscape of countries. In Africa, it had existed for decades and centuries as
individual or family businesses. Recent global trends have increased the overall scope
of doing business to constantly adjust to international demands.
Role of Government Policies
Entrepreneurial capacities in Africa have not fared well due to limitations
created by various governments’ failure to undertake their roles in creating healthy
environments for establishment, survival, sustenance and growth of businesses. States
that stood out as success stories in the 21
st
century global economic map have
appreciable government involvement in entrepreneurial development of the private
sector. Government involvements were more in the form of changing economic
systems, structures and laws (Dissanyake, 2010). Generally speaking, it is all about
improving the environment for doing business. A country like USA has a very
important proactive support for private sector development. In China, the
transformation and privatisation of state owned enterprises, learning from foreign firms
through encouraging the inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), the explicit
encouragement of high-tech entrepreneurship and huge investments in infrastructure
particularly trade and transport related stand out. India’s transformation can be linked
to huge state funding in the form of venture capital and systematic manpower
development (Naude, 2010).
Lack of infrastructure to support businesses in Africa has thus made local
production very costly compared to imports. High transaction costs in power
generation, transportation, post harvest management, communication, etc. are more like
operating taxes that squeeze their profit margin and lower competitive abilities (FAO,
2012). A view of the earth at night compiled by NASA from vast satellite images show
the entire Africa almost totally lying in darkness, with dots of light along the
Mediterranean, South East cape and Bight of Benin (NASA Satellite, 2009).
Entrepreneurial Availability
Entrepreneurship can never be said to be lacking or in short supply in Africa.
From the rural communities to urban towns, it is abundant, creative and resourceful.
Unfortunately, their activities are economically insignificant to transform, sustain and
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
4
lift households out of poverty. Most activities surrounding entrepreneurships in
developing economies are often viewed as survivalist, with little or no impact on
poverty alleviation.
Demographically, Africa is the youngest continent with a growth rate of
between 4 to 6% annually, the highest in the world. With a large percentage of its
population, over 60% below 30 years, this transforms into a very large pool of active
human resources for economic transformation (FAO Statistics, 2012). Migration has
transformed this vast manpower capacity in Africa as a means of knowledge transfer
and billions of dollars in remittances from abroad as economic gain. Internally, it
represents potential wealth creative component to be further exploited and developed
for competitive strength of entrepreneurs.
Manpower Availability
Creation of employment for large population of youths remains the most
pressing challenge of governments across Africa. According to the ILO, global youth
unemployment hit a record high of 12.8% in 2009 at the peak of the global financial
crisis. In 2012, it slightly lowered to 12.6%, putting the number of unemployed 15-24
year olds at 74 million. In North Africa and the Arab region, over 25% of under 25s are
out of work. In sub-Sahara Africa the ratio is over 20%. Forecasts suggest that these
figures will continue to rise as the world economy struggles to recover and population
continues to grow (UNIDO, 2013).
Economically, rising unemployment is quite beneficial to the employer
(entrepreneur) since supply continually outstrip demand translating into price reduction
as it tends towards a glut. As unemployment rises, jobs become competitive driving
candidates to improve on their skills through consistent training, thereby providing the
employer the opportunity of better skilled and high quality manpower. The population
of young Africans acquiring university education and other skills have appreciably
risen over the past decade and is expected to witness similar or higher trend in future.
Linking this to increase in the number of tertiary institutions and vocational training
centres in many African countries, translates into enormous pool of manpower supply.
Entrepreneurial Option
Experience shows that entrepreneurship development grows out of an
individual from forces operating within his environment and ability to solve problems
professionally. Personally, this researcher views entrepreneurial development as a
product of 4 (four) factors.
1. Passion – What is it that one loves doing that one can modify to generate income
from the public (target market).
2. Public Hunger – Exploring ones immediate environment for a unique problem to
solve.
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
5
3. Question Mark – Involve stimulating a target market with a need and hunger, then
developing solutions according to response.
4. Modified Engineering – Repackaging an existing product for new market appeal.
The above further consolidates entrepreneurial success around the individual
rather than the resources.
Option for Africa
Present economic conditions seem to favour the application of factor 1 (one)
above for Africa. Evaluation of what Africa love doing most that it can modify to
generate income from the world market. Many argue that Africa needs to join the race
for world mass manufacturing and IT revolutions. Plausible as it may sound, it is
unpractical from the globalisation point of argument. The issue is can Africa compete
with the dominant mass manufacturing power of China, when industrialised countries
of America, Europe and Asia are struggling? Will Africa potentially match the
tremendous feat of India in IT and copy-transfer technology, which took decades of
planning and human resource development to achieve?
Presently, Africa does not have the quality human resource capability, physical
and market infrastructure, economic policy, technology and reliable public institutions
necessary to evolve as a competitive force in the global market. Rather its market
offerings centre on extractive industries, where income and quantity are static and
market controlled by global consortium. Also extractions represent a continual
depletion of natural resources.
Agriculture Option
Despite the presence of vast area of land suitable for agriculture in Africa,
estimated at about 300 million hectares out of world 1.5 billion hectares, much of it is
covered by forests, protected for environmental reasons or designated as game reserve
for tourism. Countries like Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan have up
to 90% of land available for farming (FAO, 2012). This places sub-Saharan Africa as
number one globally. Naturally, the climate of sub-Saharan Africa is most conducive
and suitable for growing different varieties of crops throughout the year. Water
resources for irrigation are also in abundance, boasted by the presence of big rivers,
lakes and adequate rainfall.
Concept one of the MDG seeks the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty
by 2015 and centres around providing full and productive employment and decent work
for all. In contrast, African countries are still not within reach of meeting set targets to
achieving this goal in the remaining 24 months. Proximity to Europe and West Asia is a
major market advantage for African agricultural market. This sector has the potential
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
6
to attract huge investments from within and outside the continent considering the huge
opportunities open to investors. Institutional funding opportunities from FAO, IFAD,
AfDB, UNIDO, UNDP, EU and USAID in research and real activities is a huge
resource pool available for investors to tap from. Private funding opportunities in FDIs
are further incentives as many investors from Europe, Asia and America are willing to
invest billions of dollars in research and production of raw materials desperately needed
in their home countries.
Agribusiness Development
Transformation of agricultural activities from MSE smallholder business to
medium and large mechanised farming is the only way to achieve quality and quantity
output per hectare of farmland. The reformation of agricultural policies not to focus
solely on agricultural production but systematic development of value chain along the
system refers to agribusiness. This according to UNIDO is meant to go beyond
promoting agro-industries to highlight the link between small and medium enterprises
(SME) development, rural development and the need to connect rural economies to
global trade. Focuses on developing local processing capacities for businesses to
benefit all the way along the production chain from raw commodities to finished goods,
and serves to create wealth along the value chain from land through commodity and the
market. For example, areas like research, crop development, land management,
seedlings, chemical and pest control, equipments, post-harvest management, raw
material processing, storage and transportation, market information and access, are all
activities along the value chain capable of creating millions of jobs and billions of
dollars throughout Africa.
Agribusiness Support
In March 2010 a High-level Conference on the Development of Agribusiness
and Agro-industry in Africa was held in Abuja, Nigeria. The Abuja Declaration from
the event mandated FAO, IFAD, AfDB, and UNIDO joint sponsors of the event to
initiate joint action in the area of agribusiness value chains; food security; policies;
financing and related value. This declaration was known as the 3ADI – African
Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development Initiative. With later inclusion of other
LDCs in the scheme, the word Africa was changed to Accelerated (www.3ADI.org). In
Lilongwe in October 2010, another document known as AU-NEPAD CAADP –
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, initiated in Libya in 2009
was endorsed. The CAADP is being implemented through 4 pillars;
1. Land and water;
2. Market access;
3. Food supply and hunger;
4. Agricultural research (www.au-nepad.org).
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
7
The 3ADI kicked off with 12 countries, but as at early 2013, 17 African countries
including Haiti and Afghanistan have joined the scheme. With a target for the year
2020, when it is expected that each country would have built up a highly productive
and profitable agricultural value chain around one or two priority commodities it had
targeted under the programme (www.3adi.org).
Entrepreneurial Opportunities
The main intention of the initiators of the 3ADI was to transform the mode of
agribusiness in Africa from scattered multi-crop smallholder farms to large scale
defined crop varieties in participating countries. The main objective being to attract
large investments in agribusiness in Africa, to develop systems and capacities and
improve output and quality of harvest, transforming each country into a world leader in
the supply of the crop.
Role of Academic Institutions
Paradoxically, entrepreneurship education is a major course work in academic
institutions across Africa, but none has shown any practical development of
entrepreneurial competence within. The situation contrasts with conditions in similar
institutions in developed or developing countries.
Commercialisation of research works, establishment of business schools,
research grants, strategic partnerships are common sources that generate large pool of
resources for academic institutions. Due to low economic activities in most African
countries, these sources are limited and often totally unavailable.
This paper therefore proffers solution to economic peace across Africa through
focusing more attention to entrepreneurial engagements and commercialising activities
of academic institutions. The core activity will be the ability to develop internal and
external structures and capacities to attract projects from governments, local and
international institutions and organisations. Targeting the 3ADI and tactically
negotiating with the initiators and implementers for partial or total outsourcing the
project to academic institutions in participating countries is an immense opportunity
academic institutions across Africa can start with and fully exploit to turn around their
fortunes.
Resources
Universally, academic institutions supply the most valuable resource in the
form of quality manpower. Administrators, lecturers and students are always in excess
supply for conducting researches, developing programs and initiating changes.
Interestingly, agribusiness incorporates almost all academic disciplines including
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
8
doctors, pharmacists, business schools, etc, disciplines previously considered irrelevant
or remote in agricultural production.
Partnerships
Strategic partnership is a preferred option for academic institutions as most
relationships are intended to solve specific problems. Often organisations engage
institutions on long term relationships when interests tend to be permanent.
Governments, institutions, businesses, farmers, communities and consumers are
possible partners as stakeholders in agribusiness.
Benefits
Practical development of entrepreneurship in academic institutions will impact
nations in different forms:
1. The country will have a large pool of high quality manpower for projects, cost
effectiveness and timeliness of projects, commitment to deliver, professional rather
than political approach, less bureaucracy and corruption, large R&D pool, more
concentration on infrastructural support, better policies, economic growth and
general peace.
2. Academic institutions will attract more research, funding, income, improved
competence, quality student output, quality manpower, better infrastructure, etc.
3. The public will enjoy better relationships, trust, prompt and timely services, cost
effective R&D, better product development and improvements, wider information
availability, etc.
Conclusion
Ability of academic institutions to develop credible entrepreneurship direction
for Africa is the solution to family, social and economic peace. Migration to urban
towns as escape from hardships of living on lands and its associated social unrest will
stop. Academic institutions will benefit in multiple ways with ability to balance
between theoretical and practical entrepreneurship.
Recommendations
1. Institutions should design entrepreneurship education to impact skills in all
graduates for economic independence irrespective of discipline.
2. Consultations among leadership of institutions in Africa to cooperate, network and
collaborate with each other for profitable activities.
3. Institutions need to set up teams to formulate policies and criteria for project
identification and implementation.
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
9
4. Academic institutions should establish structures to identify cost effective and
quick impact projects to commercialise and concentrate research in those fields.
5. Institutions need to identify and attract quality manpower within and outside for
efficient service delivery.
6. Design websites to market institutions globally considering its value in today’s
business world.
References
Bhattacharya, D. (2010). Helping the World’s Least Developed Countries.UNIDO
(Making It for Development) P.18.
Diara, C.S (2010). Strengthening Productive Capacity. Making It Industry for
Development 4 (24).
Diassanyke, R. (2010). Entrepreneurship, Capital and Capitalism. UNIDO
World Bank Doing Business Index 2008.
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), (2012). Statistical Year Book. World
Food and Agriculture Infrastructure. P28
Naude, W. (2010). Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation: Tread Carefully!
(2010) UNIDO - Making It Industry for Development #4. P.
National Satellite (NASA), 2010. The World at Night.
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), 2013. Partnership
for Prosperity P.7.
www.au-nepad.org
www.3adi.org
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
doc_739723429.pdf
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education In African Tertiary Institutions
1
PIONEERING AGRIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
IN AFRICAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
By
BERNARD A. OKPOKWASI LI
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology,
Goderich Campus,
Freetown,
Sierra Leone.
Abstract
Africans are defined as a people perpetually ravaged by wars and poverty.
The continent has the highest population of young persons per country
globally, with the educated and middle-class population on a continuous rise.
This translates into potential manpower vital for sustainable economic
growth. Global economic statistics indicate appreciable and constant
economic growth across countries. Sadly, economic hardship is on the rise
with economic migrants undertaking dangerous and deadly journeys across
the Sahara desert and Mediterranean seas to Europe in search of better lives
to escape crippling poverty ravaging the lives of young men and women at
home. Can countries in Africa emulate other nations to develop synergies that
consolidated and systematically marked them out as monopolies in their areas
of specialisation, by developing potentials for sustained growth to trade with
the world and emerge global leaders? How will African governments and
academic institutions channel resources to develop entrepreneurial activities
to emerge a competitive force and move up the ladder of global economic
development? The paper reviewed few existing relevant literatures and
statistics on African governments’, individuals, local and international
institutions and organisations investment in entrepreneurial training and
practice. Billions of dollars invested in agriculture over the years never
impacted the lives of citizens but fuelled corruption in many African countries.
Government inputs were bureaucratic and mismanaged, smallholder
investments were too small to make appreciable impact, while foreign
investments were mainly export oriented. Countries in Africa can only
transform their economic landscapes by channelling all human, material and
economic resources to maximally utilise abundant land resources for
agricultural purposes. Academic institutions will develop quality manpower
and engage in real entrepreneurship development for economic
transformation of nations and institutions.
2
Diverse works and publications from development economists and statistics
point to the fact that vast majority of entrepreneurs in developing countries are engaged
in Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE), often informal, thus contributing very little to
poverty alleviation and growth. Issues like poor learning environment, lack of
infrastructure, low quality manpower, corruption at all levels, political instability, low
capital base, inconsistent policies and underdeveloped markets make ventures into
entrepreneurship more like the proverbial journey into the lions’ den.
Above factors directly correlate between entrepreneurship development and
state peace. Poverty can only be defined in the worst economic and social terms. Out of
54 countries, 34 all in sub-Sahara are classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
with high birth and mortality rates than any other part of the world (Bhattacharya,
2010). The continent has a population slightly over one (1) billion with over 60% in
rural areas where subsistence and small holder agriculture employ between 70 to 90%
of the population. It has an area of 30,221,532km sq and a population density of
30.51/km sq and 15% of world population. (FAO, 2012)
The unprecedented rate of technological progress in information,
communication and globalisation has a great impact on market access and
competitiveness (UNIDO, 2010). According to the 2010 Global Manufacturing
Competitiveness Index, China, India, Republic of Korea, Brazil and USA will occupy
top 5 positions by 2015, followed by Mexico, J apan, Germany, Poland and Thailand to
make up the top 10 global manufacturing destinations by 2015. The major factor
driving these manufacturing forces is classical economic factors of production – labour,
material and energy (Manufacturing Competitiveness UNIDO, 2010). China
consistently invested massively on infrastructural development for decades, which
manifested in their ability to plant industries across the entire country both in rural and
urban towns. India is another example that had a long term systematic manpower
development programme in technology exporting science students to America and
Europe en-mass, thereby adapting systems that incorporated efficiencies of both
systems.
For Africa, developing global market relevance can only be achieved by
employing the vast natural resources for agricultural production. Land area employed
for agriculture is about 44% of available landscape with only 10% utilised for arable
farming, 1.6% for plantation and 32% for pasture. Potentials for massive development
thereby abound in this sector by systematically deploying more land for agricultural
purposes (FAO, 2012).
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
3
This paper intends to explore potentials available to Africa in developing its
entrepreneurial education and production maximally, utilising vast natural, human and
financial resources to make agriculture the main focus of its global market economy for
massive economic turnaround.
Entrepreneurial Capacity in African Concept
Entrepreneurship in developing countries more or less refer to Micro and Small
Enterprises, (MSEs) that employ limited capital to businesses scattered throughout the
economic landscape of countries. In Africa, it had existed for decades and centuries as
individual or family businesses. Recent global trends have increased the overall scope
of doing business to constantly adjust to international demands.
Role of Government Policies
Entrepreneurial capacities in Africa have not fared well due to limitations
created by various governments’ failure to undertake their roles in creating healthy
environments for establishment, survival, sustenance and growth of businesses. States
that stood out as success stories in the 21
st
century global economic map have
appreciable government involvement in entrepreneurial development of the private
sector. Government involvements were more in the form of changing economic
systems, structures and laws (Dissanyake, 2010). Generally speaking, it is all about
improving the environment for doing business. A country like USA has a very
important proactive support for private sector development. In China, the
transformation and privatisation of state owned enterprises, learning from foreign firms
through encouraging the inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), the explicit
encouragement of high-tech entrepreneurship and huge investments in infrastructure
particularly trade and transport related stand out. India’s transformation can be linked
to huge state funding in the form of venture capital and systematic manpower
development (Naude, 2010).
Lack of infrastructure to support businesses in Africa has thus made local
production very costly compared to imports. High transaction costs in power
generation, transportation, post harvest management, communication, etc. are more like
operating taxes that squeeze their profit margin and lower competitive abilities (FAO,
2012). A view of the earth at night compiled by NASA from vast satellite images show
the entire Africa almost totally lying in darkness, with dots of light along the
Mediterranean, South East cape and Bight of Benin (NASA Satellite, 2009).
Entrepreneurial Availability
Entrepreneurship can never be said to be lacking or in short supply in Africa.
From the rural communities to urban towns, it is abundant, creative and resourceful.
Unfortunately, their activities are economically insignificant to transform, sustain and
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
4
lift households out of poverty. Most activities surrounding entrepreneurships in
developing economies are often viewed as survivalist, with little or no impact on
poverty alleviation.
Demographically, Africa is the youngest continent with a growth rate of
between 4 to 6% annually, the highest in the world. With a large percentage of its
population, over 60% below 30 years, this transforms into a very large pool of active
human resources for economic transformation (FAO Statistics, 2012). Migration has
transformed this vast manpower capacity in Africa as a means of knowledge transfer
and billions of dollars in remittances from abroad as economic gain. Internally, it
represents potential wealth creative component to be further exploited and developed
for competitive strength of entrepreneurs.
Manpower Availability
Creation of employment for large population of youths remains the most
pressing challenge of governments across Africa. According to the ILO, global youth
unemployment hit a record high of 12.8% in 2009 at the peak of the global financial
crisis. In 2012, it slightly lowered to 12.6%, putting the number of unemployed 15-24
year olds at 74 million. In North Africa and the Arab region, over 25% of under 25s are
out of work. In sub-Sahara Africa the ratio is over 20%. Forecasts suggest that these
figures will continue to rise as the world economy struggles to recover and population
continues to grow (UNIDO, 2013).
Economically, rising unemployment is quite beneficial to the employer
(entrepreneur) since supply continually outstrip demand translating into price reduction
as it tends towards a glut. As unemployment rises, jobs become competitive driving
candidates to improve on their skills through consistent training, thereby providing the
employer the opportunity of better skilled and high quality manpower. The population
of young Africans acquiring university education and other skills have appreciably
risen over the past decade and is expected to witness similar or higher trend in future.
Linking this to increase in the number of tertiary institutions and vocational training
centres in many African countries, translates into enormous pool of manpower supply.
Entrepreneurial Option
Experience shows that entrepreneurship development grows out of an
individual from forces operating within his environment and ability to solve problems
professionally. Personally, this researcher views entrepreneurial development as a
product of 4 (four) factors.
1. Passion – What is it that one loves doing that one can modify to generate income
from the public (target market).
2. Public Hunger – Exploring ones immediate environment for a unique problem to
solve.
World Educators Forum, Volume 5 No. 1, November, 2014, ISSN: 2350 - 2401
5
3. Question Mark – Involve stimulating a target market with a need and hunger, then
developing solutions according to response.
4. Modified Engineering – Repackaging an existing product for new market appeal.
The above further consolidates entrepreneurial success around the individual
rather than the resources.
Option for Africa
Present economic conditions seem to favour the application of factor 1 (one)
above for Africa. Evaluation of what Africa love doing most that it can modify to
generate income from the world market. Many argue that Africa needs to join the race
for world mass manufacturing and IT revolutions. Plausible as it may sound, it is
unpractical from the globalisation point of argument. The issue is can Africa compete
with the dominant mass manufacturing power of China, when industrialised countries
of America, Europe and Asia are struggling? Will Africa potentially match the
tremendous feat of India in IT and copy-transfer technology, which took decades of
planning and human resource development to achieve?
Presently, Africa does not have the quality human resource capability, physical
and market infrastructure, economic policy, technology and reliable public institutions
necessary to evolve as a competitive force in the global market. Rather its market
offerings centre on extractive industries, where income and quantity are static and
market controlled by global consortium. Also extractions represent a continual
depletion of natural resources.
Agriculture Option
Despite the presence of vast area of land suitable for agriculture in Africa,
estimated at about 300 million hectares out of world 1.5 billion hectares, much of it is
covered by forests, protected for environmental reasons or designated as game reserve
for tourism. Countries like Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan have up
to 90% of land available for farming (FAO, 2012). This places sub-Saharan Africa as
number one globally. Naturally, the climate of sub-Saharan Africa is most conducive
and suitable for growing different varieties of crops throughout the year. Water
resources for irrigation are also in abundance, boasted by the presence of big rivers,
lakes and adequate rainfall.
Concept one of the MDG seeks the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty
by 2015 and centres around providing full and productive employment and decent work
for all. In contrast, African countries are still not within reach of meeting set targets to
achieving this goal in the remaining 24 months. Proximity to Europe and West Asia is a
major market advantage for African agricultural market. This sector has the potential
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
6
to attract huge investments from within and outside the continent considering the huge
opportunities open to investors. Institutional funding opportunities from FAO, IFAD,
AfDB, UNIDO, UNDP, EU and USAID in research and real activities is a huge
resource pool available for investors to tap from. Private funding opportunities in FDIs
are further incentives as many investors from Europe, Asia and America are willing to
invest billions of dollars in research and production of raw materials desperately needed
in their home countries.
Agribusiness Development
Transformation of agricultural activities from MSE smallholder business to
medium and large mechanised farming is the only way to achieve quality and quantity
output per hectare of farmland. The reformation of agricultural policies not to focus
solely on agricultural production but systematic development of value chain along the
system refers to agribusiness. This according to UNIDO is meant to go beyond
promoting agro-industries to highlight the link between small and medium enterprises
(SME) development, rural development and the need to connect rural economies to
global trade. Focuses on developing local processing capacities for businesses to
benefit all the way along the production chain from raw commodities to finished goods,
and serves to create wealth along the value chain from land through commodity and the
market. For example, areas like research, crop development, land management,
seedlings, chemical and pest control, equipments, post-harvest management, raw
material processing, storage and transportation, market information and access, are all
activities along the value chain capable of creating millions of jobs and billions of
dollars throughout Africa.
Agribusiness Support
In March 2010 a High-level Conference on the Development of Agribusiness
and Agro-industry in Africa was held in Abuja, Nigeria. The Abuja Declaration from
the event mandated FAO, IFAD, AfDB, and UNIDO joint sponsors of the event to
initiate joint action in the area of agribusiness value chains; food security; policies;
financing and related value. This declaration was known as the 3ADI – African
Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development Initiative. With later inclusion of other
LDCs in the scheme, the word Africa was changed to Accelerated (www.3ADI.org). In
Lilongwe in October 2010, another document known as AU-NEPAD CAADP –
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, initiated in Libya in 2009
was endorsed. The CAADP is being implemented through 4 pillars;
1. Land and water;
2. Market access;
3. Food supply and hunger;
4. Agricultural research (www.au-nepad.org).
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The 3ADI kicked off with 12 countries, but as at early 2013, 17 African countries
including Haiti and Afghanistan have joined the scheme. With a target for the year
2020, when it is expected that each country would have built up a highly productive
and profitable agricultural value chain around one or two priority commodities it had
targeted under the programme (www.3adi.org).
Entrepreneurial Opportunities
The main intention of the initiators of the 3ADI was to transform the mode of
agribusiness in Africa from scattered multi-crop smallholder farms to large scale
defined crop varieties in participating countries. The main objective being to attract
large investments in agribusiness in Africa, to develop systems and capacities and
improve output and quality of harvest, transforming each country into a world leader in
the supply of the crop.
Role of Academic Institutions
Paradoxically, entrepreneurship education is a major course work in academic
institutions across Africa, but none has shown any practical development of
entrepreneurial competence within. The situation contrasts with conditions in similar
institutions in developed or developing countries.
Commercialisation of research works, establishment of business schools,
research grants, strategic partnerships are common sources that generate large pool of
resources for academic institutions. Due to low economic activities in most African
countries, these sources are limited and often totally unavailable.
This paper therefore proffers solution to economic peace across Africa through
focusing more attention to entrepreneurial engagements and commercialising activities
of academic institutions. The core activity will be the ability to develop internal and
external structures and capacities to attract projects from governments, local and
international institutions and organisations. Targeting the 3ADI and tactically
negotiating with the initiators and implementers for partial or total outsourcing the
project to academic institutions in participating countries is an immense opportunity
academic institutions across Africa can start with and fully exploit to turn around their
fortunes.
Resources
Universally, academic institutions supply the most valuable resource in the
form of quality manpower. Administrators, lecturers and students are always in excess
supply for conducting researches, developing programs and initiating changes.
Interestingly, agribusiness incorporates almost all academic disciplines including
Pioneering Agric Entrepreneurship Education in African Tertiary Institutions - Bernard A.
Okpokwasili
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doctors, pharmacists, business schools, etc, disciplines previously considered irrelevant
or remote in agricultural production.
Partnerships
Strategic partnership is a preferred option for academic institutions as most
relationships are intended to solve specific problems. Often organisations engage
institutions on long term relationships when interests tend to be permanent.
Governments, institutions, businesses, farmers, communities and consumers are
possible partners as stakeholders in agribusiness.
Benefits
Practical development of entrepreneurship in academic institutions will impact
nations in different forms:
1. The country will have a large pool of high quality manpower for projects, cost
effectiveness and timeliness of projects, commitment to deliver, professional rather
than political approach, less bureaucracy and corruption, large R&D pool, more
concentration on infrastructural support, better policies, economic growth and
general peace.
2. Academic institutions will attract more research, funding, income, improved
competence, quality student output, quality manpower, better infrastructure, etc.
3. The public will enjoy better relationships, trust, prompt and timely services, cost
effective R&D, better product development and improvements, wider information
availability, etc.
Conclusion
Ability of academic institutions to develop credible entrepreneurship direction
for Africa is the solution to family, social and economic peace. Migration to urban
towns as escape from hardships of living on lands and its associated social unrest will
stop. Academic institutions will benefit in multiple ways with ability to balance
between theoretical and practical entrepreneurship.
Recommendations
1. Institutions should design entrepreneurship education to impact skills in all
graduates for economic independence irrespective of discipline.
2. Consultations among leadership of institutions in Africa to cooperate, network and
collaborate with each other for profitable activities.
3. Institutions need to set up teams to formulate policies and criteria for project
identification and implementation.
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4. Academic institutions should establish structures to identify cost effective and
quick impact projects to commercialise and concentrate research in those fields.
5. Institutions need to identify and attract quality manpower within and outside for
efficient service delivery.
6. Design websites to market institutions globally considering its value in today’s
business world.
References
Bhattacharya, D. (2010). Helping the World’s Least Developed Countries.UNIDO
(Making It for Development) P.18.
Diara, C.S (2010). Strengthening Productive Capacity. Making It Industry for
Development 4 (24).
Diassanyke, R. (2010). Entrepreneurship, Capital and Capitalism. UNIDO
World Bank Doing Business Index 2008.
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), (2012). Statistical Year Book. World
Food and Agriculture Infrastructure. P28
Naude, W. (2010). Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation: Tread Carefully!
(2010) UNIDO - Making It Industry for Development #4. P.
National Satellite (NASA), 2010. The World at Night.
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), 2013. Partnership
for Prosperity P.7.
www.au-nepad.org
www.3adi.org
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Okpokwasili
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