Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Mentorship Programs has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and practitioners concerned with business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs. This growing interest reflects the recognition that mentorship programs does not operate in isolation, but interacts with a wider set of institutional and market conditions found within Selected Microfinance Banks in Nigeria.

Selected Microfinance Banks 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 mentorship programs, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs, particularly within Selected Microfinance Banks in Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about mentorship programs without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect business survival rate of university student 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 Mentorship Programs on business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs in Selected Microfinance Banks in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which mentorship programs influences business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with mentorship programs in relation to business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing mentorship programs in order to improve business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of mentorship programs on business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs in Selected Microfinance Banks in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does mentorship programs influence business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with mentorship programs in relation to business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize mentorship programs in order to improve business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to a range of stakeholders. For policymakers and regulators, the findings offer evidence to guide the design of frameworks that support healthier outcomes around business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs. For managers and practitioners within Selected Microfinance Banks in Nigeria, the study provides practical insight into how mentorship programs can be better managed. Finally, it contributes to the academic literature on entrepreneurship by extending existing knowledge into a specific empirical context, and offers a reference point for future researchers.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Mentorship Programs and its relationship with business survival rate of university student entrepreneurs within the context of Selected Microfinance Banks 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.