The University of Ibadan has launched a train the trainer entrepreneurship workshop in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, targeting student leaders across faculties, departments and halls of residence to serve as peer educators and advocates for business development on campus.

The one day programme, organised by the university's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, brought together members of the Students Union executive, the Students Representative Council, faculty presidents, departmental and hall chairpersons, as well as student entrepreneurs and innovators.

Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Juwon Arotiba, told participants that universities could no longer limit themselves to conventional classroom instruction if they intended to produce graduates capable of driving economic development.

"The future of education must transcend the classroom. It should equip learners with the capacity to identify problems, design solutions and create value," he said.

Arotiba described the train the trainer model as deliberate, noting that equipping student leaders with entrepreneurial knowledge would create a multiplier effect across the institution. He encouraged participants to explore opportunities in financial technology, precision agriculture, healthcare innovation and the creative industry, describing each as a sector with considerable entrepreneurial potential.

The Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Prof. Sherifat Aboaba, said participants received training across a broad range of competencies including opportunity identification, business model development, financial literacy, marketing strategies, access to funding and facilitation techniques. She added that the programme was designed to position student leaders as mentors and peer educators within their respective units.

The workshop featured presentations from the Chief Executive Officer of Soupah Limited, Ifeoluwa Olatayo; Managing Director of Prudencia Resources Limited, Abayomi Ogunsanya; the Dean of Students, Prof. Ademola Lewis; and CEI facilitator Mrs Olubukola Yomi Akinola.