The National Universities Commission has urged Nigerian universities to move beyond traditional academic roles and become active drivers of innovation, enterprise creation and problem solving, as it hosted a one day workshop in partnership with the Centre for African Social and Economic Transformation at the University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom.

The workshop, themed "From Innovation to Impact: Strengthening Partnerships for Innovation, Practice and Policy," brought together stakeholders from across the higher education sector to explore how research and entrepreneurship can be translated into measurable social and economic outcomes.

Declaring the event open, NUC Executive Secretary Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu emphasised that entrepreneurship education had become central to preparing graduates for a competitive global economy. He noted that universities bore a responsibility to produce graduates who were not only employable but capable of generating opportunities and contributing to national development.

Ribadu disclosed that a network of 60 Nigerian universities was already actively engaged in entrepreneurship education and innovation initiatives, describing the platform as vital for knowledge sharing, collaborative research, institutional capacity building and peer learning across the higher education landscape.

He stressed that meaningful progress in entrepreneurship education required deeper collaboration among universities, industry, government, development partners, innovation hubs and entrepreneurial communities. According to him, academic programmes must remain relevant, practical and responsive to evolving labour market demands through mutually beneficial partnerships with industry.

The Executive Secretary further highlighted the role of international partnerships, Transnational Education and digital capability development in boosting the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities. He noted that these elements were essential to building a vibrant and sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem across the country.

The workshop formed part of ongoing efforts by the commission to deepen knowledge exchange, strengthen institutional partnerships and reposition Nigerian universities as key contributors to innovation led development. Ribadu urged all stakeholders to leverage the event as a platform for identifying actionable strategies that could be implemented across institutions.