About two months ago I was reading about the world richest 30 year old lady, Elizabeth Holmes who happens to be an American.

Her story inspired me.

She`s a visionary entrepreneur. She`s courageous and determined.

She knows what she wanted for her life and she was courageous enough to pursue her passion, despite whatever anybody could be saying.

Along the line I read some statements that really got me sad.

The author of that article wrote that more and more Americans are now having entrepreneurship education.

More and more Americans are now thinking business than job.

More and more Americans are now becoming aware of the fact that “good job” is no more the right way to wealth.

Then I asked myself, “Where are Africans youths?”

The above lady started her business at the age 19, so I asked myself, “What are the African youths doing at 19?”

Fashion, football, political argument and many other nonsenses (don`t mind my poor English, na borrow language).

In this tutorial, I will be sharing with you the importance of entrepreneurship education and how you can get both financial and business education.

Now, let`s reason together.

What do you think is the most important thing for us as a continent in this time of great depression, unemployment and grade one poverty?

Entrepreneurship education.

Every day as you listen to news, you will hear the sweet words of politicians on how they plan to eradicate poverty and create massive job.

Do you fall for their lies?

I don`t.

As a matter of fact, no government of any nation has what it takes to provide job for (even) 40% of her citizen.

The best way to create job and eradicate poverty is to train our youths how to be business minded.

That`s the place of financial and entrepreneurship education.

If you will agree with me that money is very important, if you will think like me that money is one of the most important things in life, then, you will ask the questions I am asking,

Why didn`t school teach us how to make money?

Why didn`t school teach us how to start and run a successful business?

Why is school still teaching children how to be good employees, even when every one of us knows that good job is nowhere again?

Is this not crazy?

Are you not as angry as I am?

If you don`t know the reason why I am angry, I will tell you.

Around six million Africans are graduating from schools every year and 90% of this multitude have nothing meaningful to lay their hands on. Every year, over 21 million African women carry pregnancies.

We are giving birth like fish (in millions) without training these children how to live, succeed and make money.

I have spent many years in campus environment and have visited different schools. Listening to our young people and interviewing them makes me terribly sad.

When you ask ten 300 level university students what their dreams are, and their answer is the same (to get good job), why won`t you cry?

Financial education/business education is the solution to the present problem of our continent, Africa.

But, what is the entrepreneurship education?

Entrepreneurship education is the skills, knowledge and encouragement giving to children, youths or adults with the intention of preparing them to be successful business owners.

What are the advantage of entrepreneurship education?

The more people we have who are business literate, the more businesses we will have. The more businesses we have, the more jobs we`ll have and the better economy we will have.

The economy crisis, unemployment and poverty problem we have today could be traced to the massive lack of business education among African citizens.

Though we attended school, in fact, school sometimes claims to give entrepreneurship education, but don`t trust that claim.

Business education can only be given by someone who has been into the business world, made mistakes and have experiences, not by professors who have never tried anything called business.

A professor in the university could write a 500 pages book about business but how much can we trust that book?

Such a book may be filled with so many theories and findings, but how practical can it be?

Now, you`re getting what I am saying.

Someone like us are not professors and we have not even become a millionaire, but we can teach business and inspire others for business because we have practical business experiences.

The best person who can give others business training is that person who has been into the business world, got his hand dirty, made mistakes and probably have some successes.

How can you get entrepreneurship education?

Unfortunately, such people are very scarce to find.

There are two reasons for that.

First, because successful business people are not much in the world. You can find thousands of Lawyers, Doctors or Accountants, but not many successful business owners.

The second reason why business literacy is very scarce is because even the few successful business owners are too busy in the business world.

Business is not a joke.

Most business people are extremely busy individual, even after they have made billions from business.

I know a friend of mine who is a business man. He is a man I respect so much because he knows so much about life, success and business. It will be a great joy of mine to get him to join me in the vision of this organization as we seek to give financial and business education to Africans, but all my efforts failed because he is just too busy running his own business.

Now you have seen the reason why it is very hard to find a business person to train you to be successful in business, so what is the way out?

Business books. Business trainings. Business seminars and audio (not get rich quick please).

When I was around 17, I started reading various books about life, success, business and just anything I thought was nice.

At a point, after haven read several motivational, leadership and success books, I started focusing on business books.

I became a book addict.

I would read, read and read about different aspect of starting, running and making a business successful.

I would read about marketing, sales, negotiation, money management, raising capital and just any other topics I could find the book about.

I could go without buying any cloth in a year, but I couldn`t live without business books.

That is the best way to get financial and business training.

Another way is to pull yourself out and try things. Don`t stay indoors and expect a perfect time. It is the idea of school that education can be gotten in the classrooms.

That`s a lie.

The real world, the street, is the home of education.

When you have a business idea and get out there to try things out, talk with people, learn  how to raise capital, and make some attempt, you will make mistakes (yes, you must) and adjust things.

You will become smarter and wiser.

That`s getting business education.

To start on your way of financial education, I advise you to get our free business course, 10 secrets school did not teach you about business and how to make money.

You don`t have to pay for it. You don`t need to give us your email address before you will get it. Just download it in the above links

If you wish to get other business books and trainings, you may check:

How to discover great business opportunities and ideas in Nigeria

How to get capital to finance your own business

How to be rich: the science of getting rich.

I love you and wish you a successful business trip.

 

Written by Stephen Afolabi, CEO of Africa Business Classroom (ABC). He started his first business when he was only 15. He believes it`s stupid for school to continue teaching children how to be employees when there`s no more “good jobs”

an organization launched in September 2007 with the mission to train one million Africans to be successful entrepreneurs. ABC now has students in over 13 countries.

This piece first appeared here.