ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOTANY: A PANACEA FOR CURBING THE RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Entrepreneurship botany, an emerging interdisciplinary field that integrates botanical science with entrepreneurial innovation, offers a sustainable solution to the escalating rate of unemployment in Nigeria. With the country's vast biodiversity and rich repository of economic plants, entrepreneurial engagement in botanical resources presents untapped opportunities for value addition, enterprise development, and job creation. This paper explores how entrepreneurial botanists can leverage indigenous and high-value plants such as Moringa oleifera, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Zingiber officinale, and Azadirachta indica to stimulate employment across multiple sectors, including agriculture, processing, marketing, and export. By promoting value chains and encouraging small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurship in botany can contribute to rural industrialization, youth empowerment, and economic diversification. The study underscores the need for supportive policies, capacity building, and investment in plant-based innovation systems to unlock the full potential of this sector. It concludes that entrepreneurship botany is not only a viable tool for curbing unemployment but also a strategic pathway toward achieving inclusive and sustainable development in Nigeria.