Business / Economy
Osun Business School Begins Mission to Build African Business Leaders
Osun Business School launches its first cohort as founder Dr. Adegboyega Adebayo seeks an Osun government PPP to drive entrepreneurship and job creation
Osun Business School has been officially inaugurated in Osun State, with founder Dr. Adegboyega Musthofa Adebayo calling for a strategic partnership with the state government to strengthen entrepreneurship, human capital development and job creation.
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The inauguration, which featured the institution’s inaugural symposium, marked the beginning of what Adebayo described as a deliberate effort to develop the skills, enterprise capacity and leadership needed to support sustainable economic growth in Osun State, Nigeria and across Africa.
Speaking at the event, Adebayo said the launch was “more than the opening of another institution”, explaining that Osun Business School was established to bridge the gap between business education and the realities of running enterprises.
The institution is designed as an executive and entrepreneurship-focused school serving business owners, executives, professionals, public-sector leaders and emerging entrepreneurs through practical training, mentorship and business networks.
Its philosophy is built around three words, “Learn. Grow. Connect.”
Adebayo said the institution’s ambition goes beyond awarding certificates, stressing that its programmes are intended to produce people capable of building and sustaining businesses.
“The objective is not simply to produce certificate holders,” he said, adding that the school aims to develop “business thinkers, enterprise builders, responsible leaders, innovators and employers of labour.”
The school’s programmes will combine academic knowledge with practical business experience, incubation and access to investment networks. Areas of focus include entrepreneurship, leadership, management, financial markets, business strategy, financial management, innovation and digital business.
Osun Business School also plans to establish partnerships with universities, financial institutions, industry leaders and international organisations to provide participants with mentorship, global exposure and opportunities for cross-border learning.
Adebayo said Osun already possesses a strong enterprise culture, pointing to the state’s traders, farmers, artisans, innovators and business owners as evidence of its entrepreneurial potential.
However, he argued that entrepreneurial energy must be supported by knowledge, strategic planning, technology, access to finance, mentorship, markets and strong professional networks.
He said this was the gap Osun Business School was established to address.
Adebayo also urged the Osun State Government to consider a strategic Public-Private Partnership with the institution, stressing that the proposal was not an attempt to seek government funding for a private school.
“This is not a request for government to simply fund a private institution,” he said, describing the proposed partnership instead as a platform through which government and the private sector could jointly advance human-capital development, entrepreneurship and economic transformation.
According to him, such a partnership could support MSME capacity development, youth entrepreneurship, women-owned businesses, business incubation and acceleration, financial literacy, digital entrepreneurship and business formalisation.
It could also support investment-readiness programmes, research, policy development and job creation, with government contributing policy support, institutional reach and access to development priorities.
In return, Osun Business School would provide private-sector responsiveness, business expertise, training infrastructure and industry partnerships.
Adebayo said the proposed collaboration should be built around measurable outcomes rather than training for its own sake.
“We want to move beyond training people for the sake of training,” he said, pointing to entrepreneurs returning to their businesses with stronger strategies and financial systems, young people establishing viable enterprises, and local businesses becoming investment-ready and creating more jobs.
He also highlighted the need for Osun to respond to rapid changes driven by digital transformation, artificial intelligence and financial technology.
“Osun cannot afford to be left behind,” he said.
Beyond government, Adebayo invited financial institutions, corporate organisations, development partners, investors, universities and international institutions to support the initiative.
He said the long-term vision was for Osun to be recognised not only for its cultural heritage and entrepreneurial spirit, but also as a destination for executive business education and enterprise development.
Addressing the pioneer participants, Adebayo urged them to take ownership of the institution’s development and history.
“You are the first generation of OBS alumni,” he said, adding that the participants would “help write the first chapter of our history.”
He described the inauguration as “the beginning of a new chapter”, pledging that Osun Business School would continue investing in people, ideas, leadership and enterprises as part of efforts to build a stronger and more innovative Osun State and Nigeria.
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“We are ready to contribute to building the next generation of African business leaders,” Adebayo said.
The Delta State Government says its ongoing economic reforms and empowerment programmes are helping to strengthen residents’ purchasing power, support small businesses and stimulate economic activity at the grassroots.
The Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Asaba, explaining that the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was focused on ensuring that the benefits of its economic measures reached residents, particularly low-income earners and operators of nano and small businesses.
As part of the empowerment drive, councillors across the state have been directed to support 200 residents in each ward. With about 500 wards in Delta State, the initiative is expected to reach at least 100,000 people and inject approximately ₦5 billion directly into the grassroots economy.
Aniagwu said the intervention was designed to help small businesses remain viable, expand their operations and increase the capacity of residents to participate in local economic activities.
The commissioner also disclosed that political and community leaders had complemented the government’s intervention with additional empowerment programmes and financial contributions.
He cited Ika North-East as an example, where community and political leaders contributed at least ₦5 million in each federal ward, resulting in an additional injection of about ₦70 million into the local economy, separate from funds being provided through the councillors’ empowerment initiative.
Aniagwu explained that strengthening purchasing power was essential to attracting and retaining investment, noting that businesses would naturally seek locations where residents had the financial capacity to purchase goods and services.
He said improving the economic capacity of rural communities could therefore help spread investment and business opportunities beyond major urban centres across the state.
The commissioner also linked the state’s interventions to broader improvements in its finances, saying increased fiscal capacity had enabled the government to mobilise contractors, meet salary and other obligations and improve the regularity of payments to workers and pensioners.
According to him, contractors can now be mobilised with payments of up to 40 per cent, while workers’ salaries and emoluments are being paid between the 22nd and 25th of every month. He also said pensioners no longer have to queue at Government House to receive their payments.
Aniagwu further pointed to the relative stability of academic activities in Delta State-owned universities as another indication of the state’s improved financial position.
He said the administration’s reforms were aimed at strengthening government finances while ensuring that public resources were used to support infrastructure, workers, businesses and vulnerable residents.
The state government has also backed a bill providing for a 13th-month salary for public servants. Aniagwu said the measure, once assented to by the governor, would form part of the administration’s broader efforts to increase disposable income and stimulate economic activity.
He maintained that interventions aimed at increasing residents’ purchasing power were intended to stimulate consumption, support businesses and create conditions capable of attracting further investment into Delta State.
The government’s latest empowerment drive therefore combines direct support for residents with wider economic measures, as the state seeks to increase household purchasing power and strengthen economic activity at the community level.
With the planned beneficiaries spread across the state’s wards, the administration says the initiative is expected to take economic support closer to residents and provide additional capacity for small businesses to survive and grow.
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