Constructing a Model for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education in Business Education Programmes in Nigerian Higher Institutions

This study developed and validated an original model for sustainable entrepreneurship education in Business Education programmes in Nigerian higher institutions. Sustainable entrepreneurship education seeks to integrate economic, social, and environmental sustainability principles into the core of entrepreneurship instruction, producing graduates who create value while addressing societal and ecological challenges. Despite global momentum for this integration, a theoretically grounded and empirically validated model appropriate for the Nigerian higher education context does not exist in the literature. Anchored in Sustainable Development Theory, Entrepreneurship Education Theory, and Constructivism, a four-phase mixed-methods research design was employed. Phase one conducted a systematic review of 120 peer-reviewed articles on sustainable entrepreneurship education. Phase two employed a Delphi study with 35 national and international experts to develop model components. Phase three surveyed 900 Business Education stakeholders across Nigeria six geopolitical zones to empirically test the model. Phase four involved focus groups with twelve university lecturers to refine implementation strategies. Structural Equation Modeling was used for model validation. The resulting Nigeria Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education Model (NSEEM) integrates six components: value-creation orientation, sustainability literacy, stakeholder engagement pedagogy, venture incubation, impact assessment competency, and reflective learning cycles. Model fit indices confirm excellent construct validity. The study offers a theoretically grounded original model for national curriculum reform and recommends immediate field-testing in pilot Business Education departments across Nigeria. Keywords: sustainable entrepreneurship education, Business Education, Nigeria, model development, mixed-methods