ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION: ISSUES, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ERA OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education is increasingly expected to prepare learners not only to start and manage ventures but also to identify opportunities, create value, solve problems, and operate within rapidly changing digital environments. The expansion of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, mobile technologies and immersive virtual environments has consequently created new possibilities for the content, pedagogy, assessment, and organisation of entrepreneurship education. With this development, the ways in which entrepreneurship is taught and practiced are undergoing fundamental changes. This paper examines these developments with particular focus on Nigeria in comparison with developed- country contexts for improvement. It adopts a structured conceptual literature-review approach and thematically synthesises literature on entrepreneurship education and application of digital technologies. This paper conceptually explores challenges posed by the new technologies in teaching and learning entrepreneurship. The synthesis identifies five interconnected challenges: inadequate digital infrastructure and access, curriculum and competency misalignment, limited educator digital capability and institutional readiness, assessment and academic-integrity, and persistent digital inequality. The paper also highlights the opportunities created by digital technologies for virtual incubation, simulation-based learning, technology-assisted venture development such as AI-supported feedback and ideation, personalised learning, global collaboration and digital market access. The analysis is guided by Human Capital Theory, Experiential Learning Theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model. It further argues that Nigerian institutions should pursue context-sensitive and inclusive digital transformation rather than technology adoption for its own sake, combining infrastructure and access initiatives with curriculum development, entrepreneurship educators’ capacity building, authentic assessment, responsible AI governance, and stronger engagement with entrepreneurial and industry ecosystems. It also pinpoints implications for instructional design, and policy directives, highlighting the importance of adaptive curricula and digital access.