Ensign Global, University of Utah graduate 20 entrepreneurs under business creation programme

Ensign Global University and the University of Utah have graduated 20 entrepreneurs from the second cohort of the Master of Business Creation (MBC) programme, an initiative designed to help business owners strengthen their enterprises and create employment opportunities.

The programme takes a practical approach to entrepreneurship education, allowing participants to apply lessons in areas such as marketing, financial projections and human resource management directly to their businesses.

President of Ensign Global University, Professor Stephen Alder, said the initiative could help address Africa’s employment challenges by equipping graduates to create jobs rather than rely solely on existing vacancies.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Professor Alder said the continent produces millions of higher education graduates each year, while the number of available jobs remains limited.

“If you look at the African continent, for example, there are about 12 million graduates from higher education every year. Yet it’s estimated that there are reasonably three million jobs for those 12 million graduates, meaning that three quarters of the graduates are not going to find successful employment,” he said.

He said the business creation approach was intended to help participants build their own economic opportunities instead of depending entirely on the labour market.

“This business creation approach is now designed to say, we’re not sort of creating graduates and then send them out to hope they find a job. But instead, they are creating their own future,” Professor Alder added.

Programme focuses on existing businesses

The MBC programme is delivered through a partnership between Ensign Global University and the University of Utah, based in Salt Lake City in the United States.

Global Director of the programme, Jeff Davis, said it differs from conventional graduate programmes because admission places greater emphasis on business ownership than on academic qualifications alone.

“We call it an MBA for entrepreneurs. So the most important criteria is not so much that you have an undergraduate degree but that you actually have a company. So you come in with a company to have a highly applied curriculum,” he said.

Mr Davis explained that participants complete assignments based on their own businesses rather than relying on conventional examinations and theoretical case studies.

“Every assignment, there are no quizzes, no tests, no textbooks, no Harvard case studies. Everything is an assignment on your company. Marketing plans, financial projections, HR organization,” he said.

The approach is intended to help entrepreneurs apply what they learn to practical business challenges while developing strategies for growth.

Building an entrepreneurial community

Mr Davis said the programme also seeks to establish a community of entrepreneurs who can support one another beyond the classroom.

“I think one of the most important things we’re building is not so much a program in Africa but we’re building a movement, a community of builders and dreamers and doers,” he said.

On post-graduation support, he pointed to opportunities available through the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, which supports entrepreneurs and business development.

He said the institutions were also exploring possible funding opportunities for businesses in Africa.

“At the University of Utah we have a very nationally ranked Institute called the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and we have programs for graduates from the MBC and people beyond the curriculum there in the United States. And so we’re also exploring funding for the companies here in Africa as we continue to build our entrepreneurs here in Africa,” he said.

Applying classroom lessons to business

Facilitating Lecturer Nana Dr Oboafo Kwamena Asumang Appiah I said the programme enables entrepreneurs to translate classroom learning into practical improvements within their businesses.

“It’s Masters of Business Creation. It’s experiential, meaning that whatever you learn in school, you apply it directly to your business,” he said.

He explained that participants are expected to implement lessons immediately, particularly in areas such as financial management and business development.

“So if you talk about finances, you go and apply the financial models that we taught you in the classroom to your business, and then you take action,” he added.

The graduation of the second cohort marks another stage in the partnership’s efforts to support entrepreneurs as they develop their businesses and pursue growth.

The programme is expected to help participating founders strengthen their operations, expand their enterprises and create employment opportunities, while building connections with other entrepreneurs.