Effect of Female Entrepreneurial Experience on Start-Ups of Educational Institutions: An Empirical Study of North-Central Nigeria NGELE ANTHONIA NNEBUIFE, ABUBAKAR HAUWA LAMINO, NWOYE MAY, CROSS OGOHI DANIEL Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Plot 681, Cadastral Zone C-OO Research & Institution Area Nigeria, Airport Rd, Jabi 900001, Abuja, NIGERIA Abstract: - This study evinced the cruciality of female entrepreneurial experience as a gainful propeller of start-up educational institutions in North-Central Nigeria. The focal aim of this study is to ascertain the effect of female entrepreneurial experience on start-ups specifically in the educational sector, which over the years recorded a tremendous influx of female entrepreneurs. A descriptive research design was adopted as the framework for this study and the population of the study comprised 43,470 female educators within the North-Central region of Nigeria. The Cochran sample size determination technique was used to obtain the sample size of 385 respondents. Bowley's allocation formula was adopted to determine the sample size of each North-Central state while simple random and purposive sampling was used to select participants. The questionnaires were structured in a 5-point Likert scale as a validity and reliability test was conducted to ensure their credibility. Data retrieved were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 statistical tool. The results of the regression analysis validated the data at a 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that socio-cultural expectations, exceptional economic support, social networking, innovation, and self- efficacy have a significant effect on the growth of educational institutions in North-Central Nigeria. Hence the study concludes that female entrepreneurial experience adversely affects the growth of educational institutions and start-ups in North-Central Nigeria. The study recommends that good government policies geared towards equal support of female entrepreneurs as endorsed by the liberal view of the feminist-based entrepreneurship theory. Key-words: Entrepreneurial Experience, Start-ups, Educational Institutions, Nigeria, Female Entrepreneur, Female Entrepreneurial Experience. Received: April 24, 2022. Revised: September 14, 2022. Accepted: October 2, 2022. Published: November 1, 2022. 1 Introduction Currently, emerging literature has unequivocally acknowledged female entrepreneurship as the fastest- growing category of entrepreneurship globally, [1]. In [2] a report extracted from 59 countries’ economies, disclose that the global Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) was 10.2 % for women and 3.4 % for men. Also, out of scrutinized start-ups across 59 countries, 6.2 % are possessed by women while men retained 9.5 %. However, the sub- Saharan African (SSA) region houses five nations (Uganda, Ghana, Botswana, Malawi, and Angola ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 9th respectively) among the top-10 nations with necessity-driven women-led businesses globally unlike opportunity- driven women-led businesses prevalent in high- income economies, [2]. Nigeria is in 43rd position despite being the most populated in Africa with more than half of its population classified as females, [2]. The Nigerian entrepreneurship industry is fragmented into micro, small and medium enterprises (acronym zed as MSMEs). In [3] the authors validated by the recent Price water house Coopers (PWC)’s MSME According the Survey in [68], the industry accounts for more than 90 % of the business, 80 % of total employment jobs, and the sector formally contributes 50 % to the nation’s income (gross domestic product). The foregoing statistics underscore the strategic importance of this sector to Nigeria’s overall growth, through job creation, poverty reduction, and improving the standard of living among others. However, notwithstanding the sector’s unrivalled importance, the experiences of sector players have continued to be shaped by certain issues WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on BUSINESS and ECONOMICS DOI: 10.37394/23207.2022.19.157 Ngele Anthonia Nnebuife, Abubakar Hauwa Lamino, Nwoye May, Cross Ogohi Daniel E-ISSN: 2224-2899 1731 Volume 19, 2022