Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Business Plan Competitions has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and practitioners concerned with business growth of youth entrepreneurs. This growing interest reflects the recognition that business plan competitions does not operate in isolation, but interacts with a wider set of institutional and market conditions found within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria.

Selected Public Universities in Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on business plan competitions, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with business growth of youth entrepreneurs, particularly within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about business plan competitions without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect business growth of youth entrepreneurs. This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Business Plan Competitions on business growth of youth entrepreneurs in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which business plan competitions influences business growth of youth entrepreneurs within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with business plan competitions in relation to business growth of youth entrepreneurs.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing business plan competitions in order to improve business growth of youth entrepreneurs.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of business plan competitions on business growth of youth entrepreneurs in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does business plan competitions influence business growth of youth entrepreneurs within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with business plan competitions in relation to business growth of youth entrepreneurs?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize business plan competitions in order to improve business growth of youth entrepreneurs?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of entrepreneurship, this study has practical value for management teams within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria seeking to understand how business plan competitions translates into measurable outcomes around business growth of youth entrepreneurs. It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Business Plan Competitions and its relationship with business growth of youth entrepreneurs within the context of Selected Public Universities in Nigeria. It reflects a BSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.