Curriculum Content Analysis of Business Education Programmes in Nigerian Universities Relative to ECOWAS Labour Market Demands

This study conducted a content analysis of Business Education programme curricula in Nigerian universities relative to the labour market demands identified within the ECOWAS regional integration framework. Regional economic integration under ECOWAS has expanded the labour market opportunities available to Nigerian graduates, creating new competency expectations for business education programmes. Despite this reality, there is limited empirical analysis of whether Nigerian Business Education curricula are aligned with regional workforce demands. A document analysis design was adopted. Forty-five undergraduate Business Education curricula from universities across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria were systematically analyzed using a validated competency mapping matrix derived from ECOWAS sectoral workforce reports and regional professional certification standards. In addition, 40 HR managers in ECOWAS-integrated firms operating in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano completed a structured competency relevance survey. Quantitative content analysis and descriptive statistics were employed. Findings reveal significant curriculum-market misalignment, particularly in cross-border trade regulations, multilingual business communication, regional financial systems, and digital logistics. The curricula analyzed were found to be predominantly domestically oriented with minimal regional economic integration content. The study recommends that the National Universities Commission should commission a formal ECOWAS-aligned curriculum revision exercise for Business Education programmes and establish regional labour market intelligence as a standing input to future curriculum reviews. Keywords: curriculum content analysis, Business Education, ECOWAS, labour market demands, regional integration